Dog Daze
by raycatdo
Summary: After her father's death, Ino marries Shikamaru to appease her distraught mother. Ino gives up her title as a kunoichi and descends into the monotonous life of a housewife. Kiba Inuzuka has been living the single life ever since an ex girlfriend broke his heart into pieces. When his ex returns, he begins to feel the attraction that had pulled him in the first time.
1. Chapter 1: Housewife

**She looked the same.** If you peered into the kitchen window, you wouldn't even know the difference. You'd see the same platinum blond hair cascading down her back. Her body was still thin, yet curvy, and tight in all the right places. She still enveloped herself in purple and she was still beautiful.

"So, what's wrong with me?" Ino hissed as she tied the apron around her waist and began scrubbing the dishes.

She didn't smile anymore. Her bright blue eyes that had once seemed like a raging river of excitement had faded into a dull trickle. A murky puddle. What had happened? Why had she let herself become this? She glared at the tiny crumbs on the plates before her. She scrubbed and scraped until each one shone brightly in the sunlight that was pouring in through the window.

_Shikamaru._ Her mind wandered and she thought of her husband, Shikamaru, who had been on a mission in Sunagakure. He had probably returned to the village by now. She felt the usual reflex-a tug at her heart-that told her she missed her teammate. But it didn't tell her, she noted, that she missed her husband. It was funny, that fine line between teammate, friend, and significant other. Sure, a few years back, she had considered dating Shikamaru, but that had been back when she had wanted to date a bunch of guys to get a feel for what kind of a man she wanted to be with. Hell, she had even considered Choji at one point, but never had she taken it seriously.

It was only until after the war and the death of Ino's father that Ino's mother had a major meltdown. She begged Ino to relinquish her position as a kunoichi of Konoha and to marry Shikamaru for protection. Of course, Ino was furious at the idea, repulsed by her mother's request. However, she did not want to disobey her grieving mother and besides, how terrible could it be to marry your teammate? Ino had known Shikamaru for years. Marriage couldn't be much different from lifelong friendship, could it? A few months passed and, with the approval of Shikamaru and his mother, Ino was wed. It was then that her life as a housewife commenced.

The first week of marriage was awkward and uncomfortable. Ino was a virgin, Shikamaru was not, and it was strange for both of them to see their childhood friend naked. During their first year of marriage, they'd only had sex a handful of times and they usually kept the TV on and the lights off. Never had they looked each other in the eyes. Ino prayed to Kami that tonight would not be another one of _those_ nights.

Just as she finished drying the final bowl in the sink, she heard the opening of the front door and the gentle steps of her husband's sandals. The stench of a cigarette wafted into the room. Ino turned to face the man before her. He was tall, his ponytail adding about 5 inches to his height. He slouched his shoulders lazily and his face was unimpressed, as always.

"Hello, Shikamaru! I wasn't expecting you home so soon!" _He's late. Again._

"Well I wanted to hurry back to you." His voice oozed with boredom. For some reason, she didn't quite believe him.

She cleared the space between them in a few quick steps and embraced him with all of the joy she could muster. He smelled like cologne and cigarettes. She couldn't believe how much she'd missed that smell. He didn't wrap his arms around her, he simply shrugged her off of him and walked over to the window, staring out at the clouds.

It was obvious that neither of them were very happy with their arranged marriage, but to Ino, it seemed as though Shikamaru had once loved her as a teammate and close friend, but had grown to resent her for being his wife. He hardly ever even looked at her anymore.

"I made some dinner," Ino shook off the sadness and gave him a weak smile. Why couldn't they work together to make the best of things?

"I already ate."

She frowned. He was acting especially cold towards her today. A nagging feeling in her gut told her it had something to do with a certain blond, Suna kunoichi named Temari. It had been apparent when Shikamaru had first battled Temari during the chunin exams that there had been some definite chemistry between them. Now that the two were working together, they would have more time to grow closer and perhaps act on those feelings.

Ino shook her head. Shikamaru wouldn't do that, would he? Even if they were both miserable, he wouldn't hurt her like that, right? "That's fine. Maybe we could-"

"I just want to sleep. It's been a long trip."

Ino felt tears prick at her eyes, but she nodded her head and smiled. "Right. I'm sorry. Here I am worrying about spending time with you and I haven't even given you a chance to rest."

He put out his cigarette in one of the bowls Ino had just cleaned and stalked off to their bedroom, closing the door behind him. Ino clenched her fists, trying to control the rage that was building in her chest. She finally allowed tears of hate to trickle down her face as she washed out the bowl once more and dried it.

_I love my husband_, she thought to herself, repeating her own personal mantra. _I love my husband. I love my life._

**Later in the evening,** Ino went to the market in search of groceries. She strolled down the street, buying from various vendors as she went. Looking up at the sky, she noticed all of the fluffy clouds passing over her and felt that familiar tug in her chest. She dropped her head and frowned. _I love my life._

"Ino?"

The blonde glanced up in surprise at the sound of her name being called. A grin crept across her face and she dropped her basket full of goods as she sprinted towards the figure and leapt into his arms. "Choji! I've missed you so much!"

Choji chuckled and squeezed her waist. "Hey, Ino. How have you been?"

_Terrible. Lonely. I've made a horrible mistake. _"Things have been great. Shikamaru just got back from Suna."

Choji's face grew dark for a moment, but it happened so fast, Ino couldn't be sure whether it had actually happened or if she had imagined it. "Suna, huh? Well, we should all try to get together. We haven't hung out in a while."

Ino beamed. She missed Choji so much, and she'd do anything to get out of that damn house. "Sounds great!"

"I'm actually having a party on Friday. It's kind of like a reunion. Everybody's going to go. You guys should make an appearance."

"That sounds lovely!" _Lovely?_ _I'm starting to sound like a housewife, that's for sure._

"Great! You remember where my apartment is, right?" he asked.

"Of course, as long as you haven't moved."

"Sweet. Then I'll see you there!"

Ino gave him one last hug, pulling him in tighter than normal, not wanting him to leave. Eventually, he began to stir, and she reluctantly released him. "Bye, Choji."

Once his retreating figure had disappeared, despite being surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the market, Ino couldn't help but feel lonely.

_Maybe that's what we need,_ she thought as she returned to her shopping basket and retrieved it. _A night out with all three of us together again, it'll be just like old times._

She clung to that hope, determined to believe it despite the sinking feeling of doubt that kept clawing at the back of her mind.


	2. Chapter 2: Chance Encounter

**This stranger had been blond like all the others.** The perpetual cycle of sleeping with hot blondes was becoming ridiculously habitual. It was a painful event that just kept leading him right back to thoughts of her. But if this was the only way he could feel close to her again, so be it. He slept soundly, dreaming of feeling the brush of her hair against his cheek and hearing the sweet hum of her voice in his ear. He relived the moment again in his head.

_The birds were chirping above their heads and the sun pierced through the sky with beams of light, not a cloud in the sky to interfere with its rays. Kiba had a cocky grin plastered on his face. He was taking a stroll with the most beautiful kunoichi in the village, after all. He turned to her, the sun reflecting off of her platinum blond hair, her smile mimicking its brightness. He reached out to take her hand in his. Her smile faltered as she gently pulled her hand away._

_ "Is something wrong?" Kiba tried to shrug off the disappointment and leave it somewhere on the path behind them._

_ "Just…" she bit her lower lip, her eye brows furrowed. "This isn't anything serious, Kiba. I don't want to give you the wrong idea."_

_ He kept that smile glued to his face despite the sinking feeling in his chest. At least she was being honest. He could respect that, but he didn't have to like it. He looked ahead and nodded lightly, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Does that mean we can be fuck buddies?"_

_ Instantly, her feet planted themselves firmly on the ground and she gritted her teeth. Kiba turned to face her, an aloof look on his face. "What did you just say?"_

_ "If you don't want anything serious, we can stop playing boyfriend and girlfriend and skip right to the good stuff, right?"_

_ She looked as though she were ready to charge. "Screw you, Inuzuka. You're a pig."_

_ He shrugged. "Last I checked, 'Ino' meant 'pig'-not 'Inuzuka'."_

_ Next thing he knew, he was flat on his ass, sitting in the dirt, a red palm mark on his cheek. She stormed off, her feet kicking up dust as she went. He hated letting her go. He didn't want her to leave. But he figured he'd rather her leave angry than stay and walk with him when she didn't mean it. Why had she flirted with him and asked him to accompany her around the village if she didn't even plan on dating him?_

_ His heart ached, watching her leave like that. The pain only worsened when he noticed her flirting with other shinobi around the village as time progressed. Maybe Shikamaru had been right all along. Maybe women were just…just…_

"Troublesome," the word escaped his lips lazily as his eyes fluttered open.

"What was that?" Kiba sat up and took in his surroundings. He was in some girl's bedroom that was covered in pink and frills. It was so pink he had to blink a few times to focus enough to see the naked girl standing at the foot of the bed, searching in her dresser for some clothes. He felt his crotch stir at the sight.

"Oh, nothing."

The girl gave him a quizzical look before smiling sweetly at him and nodding towards his pile of clothes on the floor beside the bed. "Your clothes are over there."

_Thank Kami she hadn't offered breakfast or some other clingy shit._ Kiba rolled out of the bed, pulling the Pepto-Bismol colored comforter down with him, and landed in a heap on the floor. _Maybe I do have a bit of a hangover._

"Asami!" A woman's voice called from behind her door. "Are you alright in there?"

"Yes, mother!" The girl called back. Kiba froze in the middle of standing up.

"You still live with your parents?" he hissed.

"Don't worry about it, they're cool," she whispered back.

He raised an eye brow and pushed his hand through the tangled, brown mop on his head. "You sure?"

"Of course. The only one you have to worry about is my da-"

"What the hell is going on in here?" Some guy stormed into the room and glanced from Kiba to Asami, who screamed and ripped the comforter out of Kiba's hands to cover herself, leaving Kiba completely exposed to the sudden intrusion. He never thought he could go soft so quickly.

Asami's father was enormous and, right now, resembled a big angry bear. Behind him stood Asami's mother, a spitting image of her daughter, but with a few more wrinkles. Her mother looked around her father and stared Kiba up and down.

"Good job, dear," her mother whistled.

Ignoring his wife, the furious man towering above them roared.

Kiba leapt onto his pile of clothes, throwing on his boxers as quickly as possible and curling the rest into a ball and clutching it to his chest. He turned towards the girl and shook her hand vigorously. "Nice knowin' ya'. Don't call me."

The guy let out another monstrous roar and lunged at Kiba. Kiba easily grabbed the arm of his attacker and twisted it behind his back, making a sickening cracking sound. The man cried out in pain and Kiba released him, watching him drop to the floor in agony. Winking at the bewildered mother, Kiba mouthed "call me" before sprinting through the house and out the front door, throwing on clothes as he went.

Somewhere down the road, Akamaru sat waiting, as loyal as ever. Kiba reached out a hand to pet his old friend. The dog sniffed him and turned his head away. Kiba gave him a sad smile. "You can smell the shame too, huh?"

Akamaru whimpered.

"Yeah, well that's what meaningless sex does to a man. What do ya' say we head home and take a bath?"

Hopping onto the dog's back, Kiba headed home in a rush, wanting to get this dirty feeling off of him as soon as possible. Upon reaching his house, Kiba couldn't help but be appreciative that he didn't live with Tsume and Hana anymore. They would've smelled him coming from a mile away and known what he had been up to last night. He couldn't shake the feeling that they would be disappointed in him. Hell, he was disappointed with himself.

Walking through his empty home and into the bathroom, Kiba let the shower run until hot water flowed from the shower head. He stepped in and began to wash his body. As he washed, he was painfully aware of the empty space around him. His heart sank as he ran shampoo through his intractable hair. _I miss her._

He heaved a sigh. Blond hair, blue eyes, as beautiful as a flower in bloom…. He shut the water off and stood there for a moment, staring blankly at the wall. He never deserved her anyways.

**"Kiba! Hey, come on in!"** Choji ushered Kiba into the apartment, which by now was overflowing with people. Some were the familiar faces of their old friends from the academy days, some looked to be fresh, new faces that Kiba had never seen before.

"Don't mind if I do."

Kiba strode through the sea of people and into the dining room, grabbing a bottle of beer from the fridge. A couple girls stood by the counter, whispering and giggling to each other as they looked his way. He took a swig from the bottle before giving them his signature cocky grin accompanied by a seductive wink. They squealed and whispered furiously.

_Personal goal: take them both home tonight._

Pretending to ignore their squeals of excitement, he turned away and shoved through more people, trying to find the living room, wherever the hell that was. It was only until he ran into a sofa that he realized this _was_ the living room.

"Geez…"

"Kiba!" Kiba whipped his head around until he caught the blue eyes of an old friend, waving excitedly at him.

"Naruto!" he chuckled. He made his way to his friend and clapped him lightly on the back. "How ya' been?"

Naruto grinned. "Great! How about yourself?"

_Oh, you know, just whoring around, acting like I don't care about things that haunt me in my dreams. The usual. _"Great. Been scoring a lot of babes lately."

Naruto winked at him mischievously. "Same here."

Kiba snorted. Naruto? With babes? Ha! "Oh, really?"

The blond nodded and jerked a thumb in the direction of a pretty girl with short, pink hair. "I actually asked Sakura to come here with me. And she didn't say no!"

"So, it's a date?"

"Well…" Naruto frowned slightly. "Not exactly…but I'm hoping by the end of tonight it will be!"

Kiba smiled and shook his head. He'd been _there_ before. Why couldn't girls just be straight forward? Just a yes or no, or black and white. Why must there always be maybes and greys? Still, he couldn't help but feel a little pride for his friend. While Kiba was busy sleeping around and boozing it up to run away from the girl of his dreams, Naruto was out chasing the girl of his. And, by the way Sakura kept glancing over at them, he guessed Naruto was succeeding.

"I wish you luck then. Knowing Sakura, it won't be easy."

The orange shinobi beamed. "You know I never pass up a challenge."

Kiba watched Naruto's retreating figure until he reached Sakura. The two began speaking and the conversation almost immediately escalated into an argument fit for a married couple. The longing in Kiba's chest gnawed at his heart. He looked away quickly. Hurrying over to the sofa, Kiba sat on one of the chair's arms and chugged the rest of his beer, casting the bottle aside.

Couples were scattered throughout the crowd, dancing against each other, sharing drinks, and chatting it up. Kiba felt like a loser seated on the couch with a bunch of other rejects: some guy with braces, a scrawny weakling with acne, and a pudgy guy who was breathing heavily, as if sitting on the couch was the most exercise he had gotten in a long time.

Somewhere between the time Fatty was picking his nose and Acne was telling Brace Face about some new dandruff shampoo, Kiba noticed a flicker of long, blond hair in the crowd.

_It can't be…_ He craned his neck to see above the heads bobbing around him, but couldn't make out anything that would prove he had seen her. Perhaps it had been someone else? There were a hundred other blond girls in the world, after all.

He shot up and off of the couch when he heard Naruto call out: "Shikamaru!"

_Shit!_ He growled, a low rumble in his throat. He knew she had married Shikamaru, but had since become a housewife for no apparent reason. This meant that she had hardly left the house, so the chances of her being here were slim to none, right?

Wrong. Dead wrong. A path soon appeared in the crowd, and Kiba made out the spiky ponytail that belonged to none other than Shikamaru Nara. He was smoking a cigarette and had the same bored expression that he'd been carrying around for the past 17 years. He calmly walked up to Naruto and grumbled something under his breath causing Naruto to laugh.

_But, is she here?_

Suddenly, Kiba's breathing stopped. His heart leapt into his throat and pounded frantically. He felt his mind melt into a pile of mashed potatoes as all thought seemed to disappear. His stomach wilted and folded in on itself as though someone had just delivered a right hook to his gut. The only thing that mattered in the world-in that moment-was the blond standing right behind Shikamaru, smiling and talking to Sakura.

"Ino," Kiba's gruff voice came out breathlessly.

"Hey, buddy, are you alright?" Brace Face squeaked at him.

Kiba shook his head, his eyes locked on the curvaceous blond. "No. I don't think so."


	3. Chapter 3: Stripped

**The trek towards Choji's apartment was depressing, to say the least. **Neither Shikamaru nor Ino uttered a single word as they walked in silence towards the Akimichi residence, leaving about 4 feet of room between each other. However, as soon as they knocked on the door and Choji appeared before them, everyone was all smiles.

"Shikamaru! Ino! You guys made it!" Choji sounded mildly surprised.

"Hey, Choji," Ino stepped forward and planted a kiss on her old friend's cheek. He blushed and a goofy grin formed on his lips. Shikamaru seemed unfazed at the obvious display of affection.

"Hey," Shikamaru said, the faintest hint of a smile forming on his lips as he stepped up to embrace Choji. Ino tried to ignore the fact that she was more jealous when Shikamaru had voluntarily spoken to Choji than Shikamaru was when she had kissed Choji. She turned away as her old teammates began to speak to one another, catching up on each other's lives.

She was suddenly wishing she hadn't come to the party at all. She didn't want to be reminded all night that her husband would willingly speak to everyone else, but that she had to practically pull teeth just to get the time of day from him.

Bobbing her head around in an attempt to search through the throng of guests, Ino noticed plenty of people here were strangers to her while many more were some of her old friends. They now seemed barely recognizable. Had it really been that long?

"Shikamaru!" Ino recognized that voice anywhere. _Naruto._

She followed Shikamaru through the mass of people and towards the direction of where Naruto had beckoned them over. When they reached the spiky-haired shinobi, Shikamaru jumped right into a conversation, excluding her once more.

"Ino?" A soft voice uttered her name. Ino turned towards it and her stare was met by the jade eyes of her pink-haired friend, Sakura Haruno.

"Hey there, billboard brow," Ino teased in a gentle voice, her smile softening.

Sakura grinned back. "Pig."

The two kunoichis giggled at their old antics. As they spoke, Ino felt her heart flutter with joy. She had completely forgotten how wonderful it felt to speak with another girl, and it was great being able to speak to Sakura again. She was such an old friend that as soon as they began talking, they couldn't stop and it seemed as though almost no time had passed between them at all.

Ino told Sakura all about the married life. She tried her best to make it sound more exciting than it actually was. Even though Sakura obviously wasn't buying into Ino's charade, she still nodded her head and raised her eye brows as Ino spoke, careful not to hurt Ino's pride. It was then that Sakura updated Ino on the status of the village, shared the highlights of some of her latest missions, and finished up with her confession that, although she had told Naruto that this night out was not a date, she was excited to deliver a good-night kiss to him when he dropped her off at home.

Ino smiled and laughed, but inwardly, she couldn't help but feel slightly envious of the rosette. She was single and able to pick and choose who she wanted to chase after. Ino missed that privilege and felt guilty that she had ever taken that freedom for granted.

Stealing a glance at Shikamaru, Ino's heart took off and began to race. He was smiling. Genuinely smiling. Choji and Naruto were horsing around with him and it was apparent that he was actually enjoying himself. It was the first time Ino had seen that smile in months, and she couldn't help but smile back, overjoyed that her friends were happy.

"Shikamaru, hey. We missed you, man," a raucous voice entered the circle of friends.

Everyone turned to see Kiba Inuzuka sauntering towards them, hands in his pockets and the usual arrogant smirk on his face. Ino frowned at the sight of him. She knew that these four guys had been friends at the academy, but she couldn't stand Kiba. Ever since that day when she had slapped his face and left him in the dust she had hated him. He was only after one thing from girls. Not to mention he was haughty and rude. What was he doing here?

_Probably only came here because a party means hot, single girls to prey on,_ she thought.

As he approached their little circle, he caught her eye and his expression turned somber. A shiver ran down her spine and suddenly she felt horribly vulnerable, like he had stripped her completely naked. He seemed to be looking passed her eyes and into her thoughts. She shook the feeling away and glared right back at him, refusing to let this mongrel get to her. When he finally looked away, his face became cheerful again and he went right back to being the same pompous douche as before. The guys began to chatter amongst themselves.

"Whoa. What was that about?" Sakura muttered.

Ino didn't meet her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

Sakura's mouth dropped open with disbelief. "You're kidding, right? It's like lightning passed between you two. That look he gave you was…I don't even know. But that look _you_ gave him…well, if looks could kill, he'd have dropped dead just now."

Ino snorted and rolled her eyes. "He just annoys me. That's all."

Sakura sniggered and began speaking again, something about how she understood completely and went into one of her tirades about Naruto and how annoying he could be. As Sakura spoke, Ino would occasionally peek at Kiba out of the corner of her eye.

Despite her hatred towards him, she couldn't help but admit how gorgeous he was. He'd always been an attractive guy, but puberty had suited him very well. He was taller now and still sported the red fang markings on his cheeks, a trademark of the Inuzuka clan. He was tanned and muscular, his hair tousled and soft. She wanted to run her fingers through it. Basically every part of him was just…well, hot. She could see why so many girls had succumbed to his boyish charm.

_It's too bad he was such an asshole. I actually really liked him._

At some point, he turned slightly and their eyes locked once more. Ino blushed furiously but continued to stare him down.

_But he was an asshole. Besides, you love your husband. You love your life._

She repeated this thought in her head. She forced her thoughts to project through her eyes so that Kiba could see it too. So she would stop feeling like he could look inside of her and know it was all a lie. She just wanted him to stop looking at her like that.

Their staring contest was finally interrupted by Sakura, who pulled Ino away in search of more alcohol. Ino let herself be dragged away, only breaking their gaze when Kiba suddenly grinned and winked at her.

_He's such a tool._

Ino watched silently as Sakura began downing beers. "I need to lose my inhibitions tonight. I need to be brave enough to make my move or else I might not get another chance. Maybe you should drink some too, Ino. You said Shikamaru just returned from Suna, right? Have you two 'celebrated' his return yet?"

Ino scrunched up her nose in disgust. "Sakura, don't talk like that."

Sakura looked genuinely surprised. "He's your husband, Ino. Calm down. It's normal."

Ino ignored her and grabbed a couple of bottles, studying them cautiously. Maybe Sakura had a point. Maybe their marriage wasn't all that bad. Maybe she just wasn't trying hard enough. She popped open the bottle and began to chug.

** It didn't take long before Ino was grinning from ear-to-ear.** It was during her seventh bottle that Shikamaru came over and cut her off.

"Troublesome," he growled as he supported her so she wouldn't fall flat on her face.

"She reeks."

Through her drunken stupor, Ino recognized Temari glaring down at her in Shikamaru's arms.

"Yeah? Well, I've been drinkin'. What's yer excuse?" Ino laughed hysterically and Temari's face curled into a sour expression and her cheeks began to glow pink.

"I'm sorry, Temari. We'll have to meet up again another time," Shikamaru bid her good-bye and proceeded to guide Ino to their home.

Once they'd stumbled inside, the first thing Shikamaru did was lead Ino into their bedroom and lay her down on the bed. As he turned around to grab Ino's pajamas from the dresser, Ino began to idly undress and then spread her arms and legs wide open. When Shikamaru faced her once more, he stared down at her body. His face flushed and he looked down at the shirt in his hands.

"Ino, what are you doing?" His voice came out gruff and he swallowed, trying to get rid of the dryness in his mouth.

"Don't you love me anymore?" Ino slurred, her eyes were half shut and she tried to focus in on the man standing before her. He looked torn, like he was trying to decide what to do with her. Seeing him in the moonlight, she couldn't help but notice how much older he looked. The death of those around him had really taken its toll. He looked miserable in the darkness. Like a frightened, withered old man.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Shikamaru finally stepped towards her. Gently, he lifted her by her shoulders and pulled the oversized shirt over her body and tugged until it fell to her thighs. He then lay her back down and draped the blanket over her, brushing his hand against her cheek. She noticed how rough the calloused palm felt. He had the hands of a man who had worked all his life, despite him acting so lazy all of the time.

"Why don't you love me, Shika?" Ino murmured. Soon, the room filled with her soft breathing as she drifted to sleep.

Shikamaru stared in silence at his bride, lost in thought.

"I don't know, Ino," his voice was trembling. He pulled himself off of the bed and leaned down to give his wife a peck on her forehead. Moments later, he exited the room, leaving her to sleep to her heart's content.


	4. Chapter 4: The Morning After

**Kiba woke up with a start and immediately regretted opening his eyes.** Sun was pouring in through the window, burning into his cornea and causing the pain in his head to escalate. He jerked his face out of the sunlight and grumbled to himself. As he rolled onto his side, he was surprised when he got a face full of hair. "The hell is this…?"

He pried open his eyes once more and felt the blood in his veins freeze and his breathing dropped. A long, blond mane was draped across his bed, and his eyes followed the trail down a pale back. It was only when his eyes took in the sight of her bare bottom that Kiba realized the girl lying before him was nude.

_It couldn't be…I didn't…she's married!_

Ino was married to Shikamaru. He knew this fact, he knew it and he resented it. Still, even though he knew it was wrong, he couldn't help but get his hopes up that he had somehow, in his drunken state, convinced Ino to cheat on her husband and come home with him.

"Ino, I-"

He reached out and touched the slim shoulder as gently as possible, treating her as though she was a figment of his imagination for fear that his hand would slip right through her. When he was certain that he was indeed making skin-on-skin contact, he pulled her towards him, turning her onto her back. Straightaway, he knew this girl was not who he had hoped she was. Her stomach was not as thin as Ino's, and there was a smiley face beaming up at him from the piercing on her navel. He also noted that her chest was too small and, when he finally looked at her face, he saw that she wasn't nearly as pretty as Ino either. He growled and it rumbled deep in his chest. He gnashed his teeth together. Of course she hadn't come home with him.

He sat up and rubbed his temples, digging into them with his knuckles to ease the dull ache in his head. He glanced over and saw another girl lying next to the girl he had mistaken for Ino. He recognized them as the girls from the party.

_Goal achieved, _he thought bitterly.

Akamaru strolled up to his side of the bed, his tail wagging lightly and a water bottle gripped tightly in his mouth. Kiba gave him a weak smile and patted his head. "Thanks, Akamaru."

He downed some water and tried to remember what had happened last night. He couldn't understand what had possessed him to take the girls to his house. Now he would have to sit through the painful awkwardness of waiting for them to leave. After getting his hopes up thinking he had scored with Ino last night, all he wanted them to do was leave as soon as humanly possible.

The girl beside him began to stir. He gave her a brief look over his shoulder and saw she was smirking at him, her smile mimicking the piercing she had. Now that Kiba was more awake, he inhaled her scent and cringed. She didn't even smell like Ino. He felt like a fool.

"You sure are wild."

For some reason, that compliment didn't sit well with him. Not from her, anyway.

"Glad you enjoyed yourself." _Geez…what have I done?_

The girl turned and shook her friend awake. She, too, was naked. Kiba shook his head and sighed. What kind of man could be unhappy when he had two women in his bed at the same time?

Both girls were soon sitting up in the bed and smiling at him widely. The blond crawled over and snaked her arms around his waist and he felt her chest flatten against his back.

"How about another go?" she purred in his ear. Silky, golden strands of hair tickled his shoulder as she held him. He lifted his hand and stroked the yellow curtain, enjoying how it slid through his fingers.

_Ino…_

He couldn't decide which hurt more: torturing himself with thoughts of her, or living alone for the rest of his life with no random hook ups to numb the pain. Over-dramatic, maybe. But he was an Inuzuka, and when he found a mate, he had found the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, even if the feeling wasn't mutual. The sense of loyalty his heart felt towards her was overwhelming and borderline pathetic. Like a lost puppy begging for scraps, any attention from her could feed him for days.

Akamaru whimpered and growled a bit, trying to snap his owner out of the funk he was in. Kiba blinked at his canine companion. He really didn't want Akamaru to see this. "Akamaru, go lay down."

The dog growled, snorted, and then galloped out of the room, frustrated. Kiba watched him go. The seductress behind him was now massaging his shoulders and pulling him down slowly until he was laying down on the bed. Somehow her friend had managed to sneak her way over to Kiba's hips and the shinobi gasped as he felt a mouth envelope his member.

_ Ino…_

He thought of her hair, the swing of her hips, the first time she had smiled directly at him, the sweet scent that followed her around and made him drool like the dog he was…He clamped his eyes shut and growled. Ultimately, he gave in to his carnal instincts, shoving his emotions aside and releasing the beast that dwelled deep within him. Thoughts of the kunoichi began to wither and fade and he began to feel the weight being lifted from his chest. The loneliness he felt so often began to escape his body with every breath he took, which was now increasing with every thrust he took into one of the girls. He beamed with ecstasy.

_Freedom._

**Akamaru's tail was wagging vigorously and he barked at Kiba, a little doggy grin on his furry muzzle.** Kiba scratched behind his ears and chuckled with delight when Akamaru's hind leg beat against the ground.

"That hits the spot, huh?" he laughed, scratching harder.

After the two girls had left, Kiba had decided to take Akamaru out for a walk. He felt as though he owed it to him, especially after ignoring him and ordering him to go away when the girls had been over. Despite this, it seemed as though all was forgiven as Akamaru panted excitedly and ran from tree to tree, determined to mark his territory on each one. Kiba doubled up with laughter when it was apparent that Akamaru's tank was completely dry, and yet the dog continued to lift his leg on every bush, tree, and post on their path. It was going to be a good day.

Once the two had ventured deeper into the leaf village, Kiba recognized an old friend near the crowded market. "Hinata!"

Pale eyes turned to him, wide with surprise before closing as she greeted him with a smile and a wave of her hand. "Kiba."

Her airy voice was like music to his ears and he felt all of his worries begin to trickle away. His heart melted and he instantly remembered why he had practically adopted her as his little sister. Akamaru loved her too. Without hesitation, he broke out into a run and didn't stop until he reached her. He planted himself firmly in front of her and began sniffing and licking whatever parts of her he could reach. She giggled and stroked him softly.

"What brings you to the market today, Madame Hyuuga?" Kiba's voice got really deep and proper as he walked up to her casually, his hands in his pockets.

"I was actually on my way to visit Naruto," she answered, glancing down at her feet and blushing. Kiba snickered.

"Oh, really? Naruto, huh?"

Hinata's face reddened. "Y-yes."

Kiba loved teasing her about her incessant crush on Naruto. "And why's that?"

She shrugged and knelt down to scratch at Akamaru's stomach. Kiba stared at her in silence for a moment. "You know he's trying to get with Sakura, right?"

Her hand froze for a moment at his blunt words and she began petting Akamaru once more. "I am aware of that, yes."

He kind of regretted saying anything to her about it. Sure, he was only wanting to make sure she didn't do anything embarrassing, but still, he really needed to think before he spoke.

Suddenly, Hinata stood up and her eyes met his. He saw something in them, a fiery determination the likes of which he hadn't seen in her since the chunin exams. "But I have to try."

Kiba raised his eyebrows. "Try?"

She nodded. "Naruto…I have admired him for so long. I have believed in him since the beginning. He…inspires something in me. I don't want to lose that."

Kiba understood, and his heart went out to her. "What's the plan then?"

Hinata sighed, her shoulders slumped a little. "I have to tell him how I feel. Even if he chooses Sakura over me, at least I'll know I did all I could."

He nodded solemnly. Funny how this was turning out. He remembered back to when Hinata was so timid and weak. Back when she couldn't stand up for herself and followed Naruto around like a shadow, wishing she could be like him. Wishing she could be _with_ him. As far as Kiba was concerned, someone like Hinata, who had so much love to give, deserved Naruto-or anyone for that matter-even if she didn't think so. He smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"If he doesn't pick you, he's a bigger moron than I thought." Just for emphasis he grinned and added, "Believe it."

Hinata's laugh came out like a song and Kiba's heart melted all over again. He waved at her as she walked away and continued to watch her until she disappeared into a hoard of people.

_How funny, _he thought. _When I met that girl she could barely look at Naruto, let alone speak to him. And now…here I am wishing I had even the half the balls she's got. _


	5. Chapter 5: Rock Bottom

**Ino had told Shikamaru that she was going to head out to the market to pick up some groceries for dinner that night. **She also had to stop by the flower shop to take over her mother's shift for a bit.

"Would you care to escort me?" she purred, pausing at the door and peeking over her shoulder with a teasing look in her eye.

Shikamaru was leaning back on the couch in their living room, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He glanced at her and looked away quickly. "Can't. I have a meeting with Temari today. We have to go over some paperwork involving the exams."

Ino gripped the door frame, her nails digging into the wood at the mention of the Suna kunoichi. She smiled wryly and nodded, not letting him see how the mere mention of Temari's name cut into her happiness like a kunai. "Okay, I'll see you at dinner then. Seven-thirty, don't be late!"

Shikamaru didn't say anything. She watched as he took a deep drag from the cigarette and let the smoke curl around him, like a blanket made of fog. Despite the fact he had just ignored her, she couldn't help but think about how much she really wished he wouldn't smoke in the house.

Stepping outside, Ino was pleasantly surprised to see that the sun was luminous, without a cloud in the sky to intercept its rays. Birds chirped and danced through the air and the flowers sprinkled along the street seemed to be reaching towards the sun with all their might, trying to absorb as much of the rays of light as possible. She found it completely unfeasible to be upset with life at that moment, despite her circumstances as a wife. It was going to be a good day.

She clutched her shopping basket delicately and took her time walking towards the market place. She strolled along the usual twists and turns that would lead her there, but today she actually took the time to stop and admire the intricate details of the little things she never seemed to notice. She took in the fresh air, stepped over every tiny crack in the ground, caressed the wood of the fences that lined the street, she saw how the leaves on the branches seemed to shiver with every gust of wind, creating a rustling sound that flooded her with nostalgia. This was the sound of her childhood. Her home.

Days like today made her think of her father. Inoichi would have loved a day like today. The smells and the presence of so many plants in full bloom would have been intoxicating to him. He would have probably taken the opportunity to guide Ino around the village, pointing out various plants along the way and quizzing her on each one. If she'd get it wrong-which was nearly impossible at this point in her life-he would grin and go on to explain to her the plant's various names, uses, symbols, and folklore. She would listen intently, accepting the information like a sponge to water, and she would be prepared for when her next quiz would come.

She frowned and felt her eyes sting ever so slightly. She would never get one of those quizzes again.

Of course, thinking of her father also led her to wondering whether or not he would be proud of her right now. Submitting to her mother's wishes and getting married, that part would have upset him, but not nearly as much as her allowing herself to abandon her role as a kunoichi just to cook and clean for some man-Shikamaru or not. This would have infuriated him. He would be so disappointed, and that was probably the worst part of this whole mess.

She scowled and shoved these thoughts back into the darkest crevices of her mind, where they lurked, ready to pounce onto her once more, like a tiger in a cage. She shut them up and began going through the mental motions of ignoring them.

Ino's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden roar of voices. She heard the people before she saw them. Turning the corner, she saw how many people were out and about today and she realized she must not have been the only one who had noticed how nice it was today. Nearly everyone in the village seemed to be bustling through the market.

Ino squeezed into the mass of bodies and began going down her mental list of groceries. _Let's see…I need mackerel, sugar, sea salt, sake, minced ginger, soy sauce…._

She began to forage for the freshest ingredients she could find. She didn't care if she had to spend a little extra, she really wanted to plan a special night for her and Shikamaru. Even though the memories of last night were a little hazy, she still could recall Shikamaru rejecting her body and the promise of sex that she had practically thrown at him.

She considered that maybe their relationship lacked romance, obviously they had had sex before, but neither of them had ever really tried to bring romantic feelings into the relationship. Maybe that's why they were still stuck at square one. Tonight, she would plan a candle lit dinner with Shikamaru's favorite food as the main course. Maybe then Ino could thaw through that cold shoulder of his.

Ino was just finishing up when she heard a gruff voice behind her. "I thought I'd never see the day…"

Ino's features darkened as she whipped around to face the speaker. She wasn't at all surprised to see the cocky smirk plastered on his face. That smile seemed to be more of a hallmark than the red markings on his cheeks. "What are you talking about?"

"You just never seemed like the homemaker type."

She frowned and furrowed her eye brows. She had to squint to see him a little better, since the afternoon sun seemed to be resting on his shoulder. His eyes were gleaming slyly and staring right back at her. Her face burned red at how close he was and how much more attractive he looked from this distance. The sudden sensation of something cold and wet against her thigh made Ino jump and she looked down to see Akamaru sniffing at her. "I see your dog has less manners than you do."

Kiba flashed her his teeth. "Akamaru, back it up."

Akamaru snorted, spraying a fine mist of snot onto Ino's foot before stepping back and taking a seat by Kiba. Ino's nose crinkled in disgust.

Kiba's face became serious the longer he looked at her and she wondered what he possibly could be thinking. She felt herself stiffen as his eyes began to drift downward, taking in her breasts, stomach, hips, legs…. It's like he could see it all under her clothes. She loosened up a little when his smile returned and he nodded at the basket still gripped in her hand.

"What's all the food for?" he inquired.

"It's just groceries."

Kiba snorted. "Don't lie. You're making a dinner for the hubby, aren't you?"

Ino's mouth fell open. "How did you-"

Kiba pointed to his nose and grinned. "You can't fool me, Yamanaka. Mackerel, right? It's Shikamaru's favorite."

Ino blushed furiously. How embarrassing. Now that Kiba had guessed what she was doing, he had even more ammunition to tease her with. A once great kunoichi now scrambling to piece together her marriage while her husband could care less and runs off on missions every chance he gets? Pricks like Kiba thrived on this type of thing. "Yes. I'm making him dinner tonight."

Kiba chuckled. "I feel sorry for the guy."

Ino felt the fury building deep in her gut. It roared like a fire. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Last I checked, princesses don't know how to cook."

Her eye twitched. He thought she was a princess? He thought she was too spoiled to take care of herself, let alone another person. Funny, coming from a guy who walked around like he was alpha and the whole world was his pack.

"I'm _not_ a princess," she growled.

Kiba raised his eye brows. "Then why'd you drop your title as a kunoichi? Afraid you'd break a nail?"

Ino grinded her teeth. Was this idiot for real? "It's none of your damn business."

She turned on her heel, ready to make a dramatic exit when she felt a hand grab her arm. His tug was gentle, but his grip was firm. She turned back around, staring daggers at him. "What?"

His eyes stared down at her in earnest. "I was only teasing you, Ino."

Her heart skipped a beat at the way her name sounded on his tongue. Her ears begged for him to say it again. "Well it wasn't funny."

"I'm sorry," he said. "If you want, I can help you, you know."

She raised a thin eye brow. "Help me? What do I need help with?"

Kiba's grip tightened. "He doesn't hold you, does he? He barely even looks at you, am I right? Have you guys even had sex?"

Ino's rage began to grow again and she wriggled free from his grasp. "I don't need your help, mutt! My marriage is fine. We are happy together. It's like we were meant to be. Now leave me alone!"

She pulled the basket to her chest and hurried away, trying to ignore that her skin still felt hot where his fingers had grabbed her.

** "Mom!" Ino called out, entering the flower shop.**

Her mom peeked out from behind a large display of chrysanthemums. "Ino, you made it."

The brunette woman rushed over to embrace her daughter. "Sorry if I took long, I had to pick up some groceries."

Her mom looked into the basket and nodded. "Mackerel? Is that for Shikamaru?"

Ino smiled proudly. "I wanted to surprise him."

The older woman's face brightened. "Oh, honey, how thoughtful. It's so delightful that you two are getting along. I knew he would be perfect for you."

Ino chose to ignore that last part. "So I'm here to cover for you. Where are you heading off to?"

"I just have to stop by the doctor's office for an appointment," her mother said. Ino's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to speak but her mother beat her to it. "It's nothing to make a fuss about, dear. Just a check-up. I should be back in a couple of hours, if that's alright. You should be able to make it home in time to cook your special dinner."

Ino nodded and embraced her mother once more. "Okay, I'll see you in a little bit then. I love you, mom."

"I love you too, dear."

The two hours dragged by painfully. Hardly anyone came into the store except for Choji, who had originally only stopped by to say a quick hello. However, the hugging and batting of eye lashes from Ino encouraged the shinobi to remain in the shop. Essentially, the two were supposed to be tidying up, but this soon turned into a series of shenanigans. Hide and seek, tag, and wrestling became the outcome of their play time. By the time Ino's mother had returned, Ino was sitting atop Choji's chest, tickling him everywhere she could reach.

"Ahem…" Ino looked up to see her mother, gazing down at them disapprovingly. "What on Earth are you children doing?"

Choji was laughing too hard to respond, so Ino chimed in. "Messing around."

"This is the last time I let you be in charge, young lady," her mother scolded, but Ino could see the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Ino lifted herself off of the floor and gave Choji her hand, helping him up.

"Sorry," Choji chuckled. "She was just too strong! I'll talk to you later, Ino. It was nice seeing you today."

"Bye, Choji!" Ino waved.

Ino turned to face her mother, fully prepared to take the blame for all of the rough-housing, when she noticed the grave look on her mother's face. "Mom, what's wrong?"  
"Come sit down, Ino."

She ushered Ino towards the counter where Ino easily hopped up and seated herself. She gazed intently at her mother, awaiting the news. "What's up?"

Her mother shifted uncomfortably and swallowed before looking the young Yamanaka in the eyes. "The doctor has found a lump in my right breast. He says it is most likely benign but that he cannot be completely sure until more tests are done. I'm scheduled to return in a couple of weeks."

Ino felt a wave of fury and disbelief crash over her. First her sensei, then her father, and now her mother?

_Kami, why are you so selfish?_

"Don't worry too much, dear. I'll be fine. No sense worrying about it right now when we aren't even sure of the circumstances."

"But, mom-" Ino began.

"Not now, dear." Her mother reached out to her and held her hand. The gesture was meant for comfort, and Ino latched onto that comfort like a child to a blanket. "Go. Enjoy your night with Shikamaru."

Ino gulped back the tears pricking at her eyes. She pulled her mom into a tight hug.

"Maybe even make me a grandma!" her mom hinted with a laugh.

Ino blushed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, mother. I'm leaving now."

"Tell Shikamaru I said 'hello'!"

**When Ino returned home, she wasn't at all surprised to see that Shikamaru hadn't returned yet.** She tried not to let that discourage her. After all, this just meant she could prepare his dinner in peace. She dived into cooking as though it were surgery, her demeanor becoming more serious. She scrubbed her hands thoroughly before preparing the dish.

Right around 7 o'clock Ino had completed the sashimi-styled dish and had set up a candlelit dinner, complete with a center piece she had arranged herself. She untied her apron from around her waist and hung it up next to the sink. A jolt of excitement rushed through her as she squealed with joy and leapt into a chair. She planted herself firmly on the seat and began to wait.

Once a half an hour had passed, Ino began to feel the pangs of worry. She felt a twinge in her heart as she checked the clock.

_He'll be here,_ she assured herself. Absentmindedly, she reached for the narrow neck of the ceramic tokkuri which she had filled with ginjo. Her hands shook as she began to pour herself some of the chilled sake.

An hour passed and Ino bit at her nails savagely. She stood up, feeling the sudden urge to clean something and help pass the time, but sat back down when she realized that the floor was swept and the dishes were put away.

_Where is he?_

She poured herself some more sake and saw that the bottle was noticeably lighter. She stared out the window at the darkening sky and sipped at her drink.

Two hours passed. Ino's face was beet red and she was now chugging straight from the tokkuri.

_That bastard. That sonuvabitch. I'll bet he's fucking her, _Ino slammed her hands onto the table and forced herself to stand. She clung to the wood for support. _I'd bet he's into that kinky shit and that's why he won't screw me. Fucking dominatrix…._

She stumbled towards the bedroom and began to scream at no one in particular. "I don't need you! I can take care of myself! I have pillows to hug! I have dildos! I don't need you!"

She started falling into a fit of giggles and she crashed onto the floor, clutching at her sides. She roared with laughter until tears fell from her eyes and her cheek bones hurt from smiling so much. She laughed for what felt like an eternity. But when the giggles left her, she realized she was all alone and she felt the loneliness settle in her stomach like an anchor.

She lay on the floor, resting on her side and halfway curled into a ball. Her hair pooled to the floor behind her. She stared straight ahead at the doorway where her husband should've been standing nearly 4 hours ago, saying hello to her before coming in and enjoying a romantic dinner with his loving wife.

She thought back to earlier that day, to what Kiba had said: "He doesn't hold you, does he? He barely even looks at you, am I right?"

She remembered the sting of his words as he'd said them. The way the truth had sounded coming from a complete stranger had just made it all the more real. She could sit here and deny, deny, deny but all it was doing was hurting herself. Obviously she wasn't doing something right, and she was determined to find out how to fix it.

She closed her eyes and an image of Kiba materialized behind her closed lids. He was staring at her intensely, digging through the secrets of her soul. If he could have found the truth in her, surely he could find it in Shikamaru? He had offered to help her, hadn't he? Did she even want his help? She considered it for a moment.

Her husband barely spoke to her, hardly looked at her, and they hadn't had sex in months-at least, she hadn't. She was lying on the floor, drunk, miserable and broken. She had officially hit rock bottom.

_What could it hurt?_

**_Okay, hope everyone liked this chapter! It took forever and it's longer than my others so hopefully that makes you happy. I know it's kinda late in the game but I don't own any Naruto characters. Nor do I own the cover photo for this story. All rights and ownership go to those responsible for the picture and all characters are Masashi Kishimoto's. Read and review, thanks to those of you who are following my story J It means the world-really!_**


	6. Chapter 6: Step 1

**Ino had flown into a rage.** "I don't need your help, mutt! My marriage is fine. We are happy together. It's like we were meant to be. Now leave me alone!"

He watched her go, her feet slapping the ground loudly as she stormed off. At least this time when they had fought she hadn't slapped him. He looked down at Akamaru, who was looking right back up at him. The look on his face saying "damn, you're an idiot."

Kiba shrugged. "Not my fault she can't handle the truth."

Akamaru looked unamused and snorted before getting up and beginning the walk back towards their home. Kiba planted his hands firmly in his pockets before following suit.

He really was only teasing her. He realized that that run in with her could have gone so much smoother if he had just played nice. Unfortunately, he tended to have the mentality of a kindergartener when it came to girls: the more he liked a girl, the more he teased her. Obviously, he liked Ino a lot. It was hard not to fall in love with her all over again just by seeing her standing right in front of him. Her platinum blond locks were practically glowing in the sunlight, her revealing outfit allowed his eyes access to every sensuous curve of her body, the way the wind blew her flowery aroma right up his nose….

"I shouldn't have asked her about the sex," he decided. That was probably what had pushed her over the edge and into a pit of fury. In hindsight, that question had been far too inappropriate and personal. He hadn't been able to help himself, though. He knew that Ino and Shikamaru had most likely consummated their marriage ages ago, yet he still wanted to cling to the hope that he could be Ino's first. Somewhere in the darkest depths of his being, Kiba felt guilt weighing on his conscience. Even if she had chosen to drop everything and leave Shikamaru right now to be with Kiba, she wouldn't be Kiba's first. Why hadn't he waited for her?

_Because she got married and I lost all hope. Because the pain of loneliness and rejection was too much to bear. Because my pride won over my morals._

This day had started out so perfectly, and now Kiba felt like everything had gone to shit. It was all horribly, utterly wrong. He just wanted to go inside and sleep the remainder of the week away.

"Akamaru, I'm heading inside," Kiba said when they had finally reached the house. "Feel free to chill out here and let yourself in later. I'm just feeling a little tired."

Akamaru let out a soft whining noise, begging Kiba to stay outside and play with him. Kiba just shook his head and unlocked the door, letting himself in. "I'll see you later, okay boy?"

He stepped into the house and shut the door behind him. He examined the disaster area that was his living room. It definitely screamed bachelor pad. His clothes were strewn about the room, covering piles made up of bottles, cans, and pizza boxes. His couch was ragged and drooped from all the times he had plopped onto it.

_I really need to get my priorities straight, _he thought to himself, taking in the smell of the mess around him.

He peeled his shirt from his back and kicked his pants to the side. He teetered over towards the couch and slouched down into it. Sitting in silence, it didn't take long for his mind to drift to Ino and her afternoon shopping. He thought of how she had gone through so much trouble to collect everything needed for her carefully planned dinner. He had smelled the freshness of the ingredients and knew she had spent a pretty penny just for her husband. His eye brows furrowed as envy put a dark cloud over him. He came home every day to an empty house while Shikamaru was living the good life with the perfect woman and couldn't care less. He was taking her completely for granted. And what was worse? She was letting him!

Kiba snarled and slapped at an empty beer bottle that had been resting on the coffee table by the sofa. It flew from the table and shattered against a nearby wall.

Why hadn't he told her when he'd had the chance?

_Because you were scared. You chickened out. _The thought infuriated him. _She didn't love you anyway._

That thought probably hurt the most. She had never been serious with any guy, ever. But one day, she just up and gets married? Not to mention she could have picked any guy in the village, but picked Shikamaru. Even Choji would have been a much better option. He would have at least tried to give a resemblance of a fuck about her. But, instead, she chooses Shikamaru, who hardly even acknowledges her.

He wanted to yell at her, tell her how stupid she was. How dumb her decisions have been. Tell her Shikamaru is a douche, that Shikamaru doesn't love her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he has always loved her since the day she back handed him. He wanted to tell her that he would hold her and listen to her and wouldn't keep her locked in a house all of the time. He'd take her to dances and buy her beautiful gowns just so he could waltz with her and show off his gorgeous girl to everyone-and he didn't even like to dance! He wanted to scream it all to the world, except everyone else would hear it but her.

All the thoughts swimming through his head were pushing him to exhaustion. It didn't take long before Kiba drifted off into a restless slumber.

_**She was straddling him, the skirt of her sheer nightie bundled up well above her thigh.**__ She shoved him down onto the bed with a mischievous grin on her face. She pulled the nightie up and over her head, unveiling the lacy pink bra and thong underneath. She tugged her hair out of its signature high ponytail and shook it, fluffing it with her fingers lightly, making it look all sexy and messy. Kiba swallowed._

_ "Ino, I've wanted this for so long. But Shikamaru-"_

_ She pressed a finger to his lips to silence him. Their eyes met and she bit her lower lip and smiled. Her hands traveled down to the front clasp on her bra._

_ This is it, Kiba thought._

_ Just as she was about to set her breasts free, a thunderous knock came from the bedroom door. Ino's head whipped around, surprised. "Who's that?"_

_ "I don't know," Kiba said. "Just keep going. They'll leave eventually."_

_ She giggled and returned to unclasping her bra when another knock sounded. This time, more urgent._

_ "You've got to be kidding me," Kiba muttered. He was growing impatient, and he'd be damned if anyone was going to cock block him today!_

_ Just as Ino began to stand up and head towards the door, Kiba grabbed her at the waist and flipped her down onto the bed. He was inches above her now, and his breathing came out ragged as he gazed down at the beauty beneath him. He had to have her, his instincts were practically screaming at him to take her._

_ "You're mine now," he growled. She squealed with delight as he lunged at her and nibbled at her neck. His hands groped at her, sliding along her body, loving the silky feel of her skin on his fingertips. Suddenly, a doorbell rang. Kiba sat up on his knees and paused, turning to face the bedroom door curiously. His bedroom didn't have a doorbell…?_

Kiba's eyes popped open and he instantly closed his eyes again, hoping to fall asleep quickly and return to his dream. The doorbell rang again and he felt the hardness in his lower area begin to deflate. He growled and roared and chucked another glass bottle at the wall where it exploded onto the floor. Kiba narrowed his eyes at the door.

_Whoever interrupted my sleep is going to pay big time._

He leapt off of the couch and stomped towards the door. Tearing it open, he barked out "What?"

The familiar scent of flowers made his heart flutter and his eyes widened with surprised when he realized the person standing before him was none other than the gorgeous Yamanaka herself. Her hair sat atop her head in a messy bun and there were circles under her eyes. She wore a baggy t-shirt and a pair of tiny jean shorts. His heart ached at the sight of her. She still looked beautiful.

Her blue eyes grew as she took in his appearance. As her gaze drifted lower, her hand flew up to her mouth and her face turned about ten shades of red. "Oh!"

Kiba gave her a questioning look. He looked down at himself to see what the big deal was and realized he was only wearing boxers.

_Perfect…_

Floundering to mask the embarrassment, Kiba slapped his usual cocky grin on his face and laughed. "What? Never seen a man in his underwear before?"

Ino looked away quickly, her face growing redder-if that was possible. "You're an idiot."

_Ouch. _"So, what brings the princess out of her castle? Mingling with the peasants today?"

She rolled her eyes and glared at him. "If you'd shut up for five seconds, I'd tell you."

Kiba's smile straightened out and he folded his arms over his chest, leaning against the door frame and staring at her, awaiting her explanation patiently.

She took a deep breath and exhaled. "I…I thought about what you said the other day."

He thought back to their run in at the market a couple of days ago. "Okay."

"I think…" she stared down at her shoes. "I think I need your help."

Kiba raised and eye brow at her. She was looking everywhere else but directly at him. It was obvious that she didn't ask for help often, nor did she seem to like the idea of him helping her.

_I must be a last resort._

"Help?" he played dumb. He was trying to decide how he felt about helping the love of his life make another man love her.

She fidgeted before finally locking eyes with him. "May I come in?"

He stared at her blankly for a moment, shrugged, then turned around and headed back towards the couch-his main source of comfort the past few days. Hesitating, she followed him in and he heard the door click behind her.

_She's in my house._

He mentally kicked himself for not cleaning up after himself. Sitting down, he looked over at her and saw the obvious look of disgust on her face. She was inspecting a pile of unidentifiable garbage, her nose crinkling.

"Help?" he repeated, hoping she'd focus on him and not the rest of his messy house. She blinked as his voice pulled her from her trance and she nodded.

"You offered me your help."

"What do you need help with? You guys are perfect together, remember?"

She silently padded over towards him and sat down on the opposite side of the couch. Her eyes were glued to the floor and she began to speak slowly, as if she were measuring the weight of each word she said. "You were right. Absolutely right."

He nodded silently. _I know._

"That night," she began, "I made him dinner. I specifically told him I wanted him home on time. I told him not to be late."

_That prick. He didn't…_

"He never came back. He was supposed to be meeting with Temari but…I'm starting to think he's going to her for…other reasons," her voice cracked a bit. "I fell asleep on the floor and woke up in bed. He was sleeping on the couch. He still hasn't apologized. I've been ignoring him, hoping he'd get the hint and talk to me, but he-"

I noticed a tear fall from her face and drop onto her thigh. She wiped it away quickly with her finger.

"He just doesn't care."

At this point, she had burst into tears. She wasn't making any noise, hoping that Kiba still hadn't noticed that she was crying, but the silent sobs shook her body. She wrapped her arms around herself for comfort, like a pathetic self-hug. Kiba wondered how often she had held herself like that, wishing someone else were holding her for comfort and pretending it was Shikamaru's arms that were cradling her.

He watched her cry until the anger he had felt towards Shikamaru had drained from him, only to be replaced by pure empathy for Ino. He knew how it felt to wish someone would love you back. Even if Ino didn't love Kiba, he still wanted to see her happy, even if he couldn't be the source of that happiness.

Kiba reached an arm out to her trembling body and curled it around her shoulders. He pulled her to him until the two were hip to hip, and se buried her face into him, openly sobbing now. Her cries and sniffling filled the air around them and Kiba felt the tears streaming on his bare chest. He combed through the golden strands of her hair.

Her crying continued for a good ten minutes or so before she finally pulled away from him, her tear stained face directed at him. "I'm so sorry, Kiba. I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Kiba picked up what looked to be a clean shirt and dabbed at her cheeks. "I'll help you, princess."

She nodded solemnly and scooted away from him. His skin felt cold where she had been touching him. He felt the goose bumps reaching for her, begging for her to come back.

"Look, I'm not going to claim that I'm some great marriage counsellor or anything," he began, "but I will give you the best advice I can. Although we have both known Shikamaru for years, I'm a dude. He's definitely told me more in depth details about his sex life than he's told you."

Ino nodded once more and sniffed loudly.

"I promise I will try my best to help you. I'm sorry he's acting this way towards you, but I'll try my best to change that, alright?"

"Thank you, Kiba."

The silence in the room slowly grew until it was almost deafening. Kiba felt, in that moment such a string urge to tell her what he really thought.

_You deserve better. You can be my princess. I'll wait on you hand and foot. Loyal, like a damn dog._

But he had already promised he would help her patch things up with Shikamaru. He couldn't go back on his word and, now that she seemed to be connecting with him, he didn't want to lose her again by confessing his feelings now. He'd rather have her as friend than not have her at all.

"Where's Shikamaru now?"

"Another meeting with Temari," she spat out the name like it was a swear word.

Kiba heaved a sigh and stood up. "Well, let's head out. There's a great restaurant right around the corner. I eat there a lot."

"Do they make pizza?" she teased, a tiny smile finally materializing on her face. She motioned towards all of the pizza boxes.

Kiba chuckled. He felt ecstatic that she was finally smiling. "Not quite. Come on, let me take you out. I'm buying."

She seemed willing but hesitant.

"You wouldn't have to cook. Plus, if you really want my advice, guys don't like clingy girls and girls who wait around for them. They like girls who lead their own lives and have goals and ambitions. So here's step 1: stop waiting around for him. Come to dinner with me."

The blond beauty's face lit up a little more and she quietly said, "Well, if you're buying…"

_**A/N: yo yo yo! sorry if this chapter is shorter! Been busy with sociology homework (sorry to those that think that's a shit excuse :P) We'll get to the better parts of the story real son though! I work the next few days but I have all of Saturday off, so, if I haven't posted before Saturday, Ino's next chapter will definitely be up by then...hopefully...maybe...perhaps...Please read and review. I love hearing from you guys :)**_


	7. Chapter 7: Liquid Confidence

**As Kiba pushed open the door, a cloud of smoke pooled out and swirled around their bodies.** The sounds of someone's horrible singing mingled with the smoke and Ino raised an eyebrow, giving Kiba an incredulous look. "What kind of restaurant is this?"

Kiba gave her a sheepish smile, his fangs glistening in the dim light. "By restaurant, I meant more of like a karaoke bar."

Ino shook her head in disbelief. "You hang out in karaoke bars? Do you even sing?"

He shrugged, leaning against the door frame. "Only if everyone's left the bar. Or when I get wasted. That's only happened a few times."

Ino couldn't believe it. When Kiba had offered her dinner, the idea had seemed beautiful to her aching feet. She couldn't stand another minute wasted standing over a hot stove to make a dinner for two, when only one ended up eating. Now, she almost wished she had stayed home.

"I'm _not_ singing," she said with finality, hoping her tone was enough to prevent Kiba from requesting a duet. "And you won't be getting me wasted tonight."

There was a gleam in his eyes. "Aah, but the night is young."

Ino glared at him and he raised his arms in defeat and laughed. "Fine, fine. Whatever you say, princess."

Ino shouldered passed him and into the rowdy atmosphere of the bar. There was so much smoke that Ino was sure she had developed lung cancer just from standing there. She took in the bars, each lined against a wall. In between the bars sat about twenty tables. The place was packed with people. Directly across from Ino stood the stage where people would stand to belt out tunes. It was there that Ino discovered the source of the terrible singing. It came in the form of a very large, very hairy, very drunk man.

"I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world!" he sang into the mic, his voice cracking as he mimicked the pitch of the female singer.

Ino held her hand over her mouth to stifle the laughter that was bubbling up inside of her. It was then that she felt the warmth of the shinobi standing behind her as he pressed against her back. She turned to face him and was surprised to see that his face was mere inches from her own as he leaned over her shoulder so he could speak to her without having to yell. She felt her face growing hot.

"You like what you see?" he teased with a grin. She felt his breath caress her cheek as he spoke. Her blue eyes met his black ones and she noticed how the vertical iris of his eyes seemed to dilate as he looked at her. She had to admit, looking at him up close like this, she did like what she saw.

When she realized they had just been standing in the door way staring at each other, she quickly snapped her attention back to the bar and folded her arms over her chest. She scanned over the room, giving it an uninterested look. "It looks like somewhere you'd go."

The young Inuzuka snorted, straightening back up and shoving his hands in his pockets. "Sorry it's not the Red Lobster, princess."

Kiba maneuvered around her and began walking towards the bar. Ino continued to feign disinterest until he was further away. She then let the smile escape onto her face as she took in the bar once more. There were older men drinking, smoking, playing cards, and joking around with one another. It reminded Ino of her dad and his friends. Shikamaru's dad and Choji's dad were her dad's closest friends. She could see all of them meeting up in a place like this and having rounds of drinks.

Soon, she began to think of Shikamaru and how he had also lost his dad. She wondered if maybe that could be part of the reason why Shikamaru had been acting so down in the dumps. She hadn't really stopped to think of how he had lost someone too. Maybe he was hurting just as bad.

Suddenly, she was glad Kiba had brought her here. Maybe he really could help fix a marriage. She looked over to where Kiba was now shamelessly flirting with the bartender. The poor girl was eating up every word he said, giggling and blushing the whole time.

_Is it really possible that this spiky haired gigolo could know a thing or two about love, let alone marriage? _Ino watched as Kiba scored some free drinks. He gave the girl a wink and walked back over towards Ino. _Crazier things have happened._

"On the house," Kiba plopped a beer into her hand.

"You get free drinks just for being attractive?" Ino had to admit, she was impressed.

He grinned. "So you admit I'm attractive?"

Ino rolled her eyes and popped open her beer. She took a few sips and pretended not to notice Kiba staring at her expectantly.

"You know, you could do it too."

Ino turned to face him. "Excuse me? Do what?"

Kiba chugged some of his bottle before continuing. "You could get free drinks too, if you wanted. You're attractive enough."

Ino smirked. "So you admit I'm attractive?"

Kiba choked a little on his next sip of beer and quickly wiped at his mouth. "I said 'attractive _enough_'."

Ino scowled. "You're such a jerk, Kiba."

He shrugged. "Seriously, though, if you don't believe me, go over there and flirt with that guy."

She searched for who Kiba had been pointing at. There was a group of guys, all around their age. Kiba had pointed out the most attractive guy in the group; some tanned blond guy who looked like he had just walked out of a movie. He was someone Ino would have drooled over when she was younger. She would have jumped on him and gone after him until he agreed to take her out. But now… "He's gorgeous, but Kiba, I'm married."

"So? It's not like you're sleeping with the guy."

"It's not just that," Ino admitted. She stared down at her feet and frowned. "I'm just not…you know, pretty. I'm not sexy or hot, like I used to be. I don't exactly ooze with sex appeal."

She felt herself stiffen, waiting for the rude remarks Kiba would throw at her, teasing her about how fat she'd gotten after eating to fill the hole inside of her, or how she wasn't as toned as she had been back when she would train every day and go away on missions. When nothing was said, Ino peeked at Kiba. He was staring down at her with that serious look back on his face. He studied her before taking another drink from his bottle.

"You ever see Choji with a girl?"

Ino gave him a quizzical look and nodded. "Yeah, a few times."

"Ever notice how Naruto is all over Sakura even though it's obvious that Hinata loves him?"

Ino nodded again. "Yeah. So?"

Kiba hesitated and kicked at the floor. "Notice how Shikamaru is always with Temari, but not with…"

Ino felt the pain of his words claw down her spine. How could he say that so nonchalantly? "Me?"

Kiba ignored her and continued. "Confidence, Ino. As long as someone has confidence, they are attractive."

Ino stared at Kiba for a moment before looking back at the attractive movie star. She thought of Shikamaru, Temari, and the sting of Kiba's words. She felt an old, familiar flame beginning to burn somewhere deep inside of her. "You don't think I'm confident?"

Kiba gave her a bored look. "You just told me you think you're not pretty. That doesn't sound very confident to me."

"So, I'm not confident?"

"As long as you're confident in your confidence Ino, who am I to judge?"

Ino glared at him. "I _am _confident."

Kiba started checking out a group of girls. "Okay. Whatever you say."

Ino felt her eye twitch in anger. She wanted to prove this asshole wrong. She wanted to prove Shikamaru wrong. She wanted to prove them all wrong, including herself. Kiba was right. She had forgotten somewhere along the way how to love herself, she had been trying too hard to love Shikamaru and gain his love in return. But how do you love someone else if you can't love yourself? How can anyone love you if _you_ don't even love you?

She made her away across the room where the man was seated with his friends. They seemed to be in the middle of a poker game. Ino looked over her shoulder at Kiba, who had an amused look on his face.

_Let's see how confident I look now._

Ino reached up and tugged her hair from the confines of her pony tail. Her mane fell from its perch and fluttered behind her, like Superman's cape. Almost robotically, her hips began to swing with each step she took, an old habit that had died around the same time she had tied the knot with Shikamaru. She felt fierce and strong. Like a whole new Ino.

Heads turned as she came closer to her goal. When she reached her destination, she planted herself firmly onto the man's lap, draping her arms around his neck.

"Hey! What do you think you're-"

The man stopped complaining when he saw the blond vixen who was seated on his lap. She batted her eyes at him playfully. She tried to ignore the slight disgust she felt at the stirring in the man's pants below her. She had to prove herself.

"Well, hey there," Ino purred, cupping his chin with her finger and sitting straighter, allowing her chest stick out further.

The man gulped. His friends gawked at him. "Aito, who is this?"

The man (_Aito? _Ino guessed) shook his head, his mouth hanging open. "The hell if I know."

"Aito," Ino made sure to breathe his name, "I didn't mean to interrupt your game, but I couldn't help but notice you from across the room. I'd just love to have a drink with you."

Aito's eyes went wide. Ino was surprised. Surely this guy had gotten loads of attention from plenty of women before? "Well, I'd love to buy you a drink."

Ino smiled as Aito called over a waitress and ordered them both some scotch. As they drank, Ino and Aito actually started a decent conversation. Ino had all of the guys hooked on every word she said, so much so that they were begging her to stay and join their poker game. Ino happily agreed, overwhelmed and over joyed with the attention. She beckoned Kiba over to join in on the fun. The other guys weren't too keen on Kiba joining in, but they let it slide since Ino insisted that he join them.

**Around 1 a.m., the bar was becoming as empty as Ino's head.** She knew she was getting drunk from all of the rounds of scotch, but she didn't care. Drinking, once a depressing hobby for when she was sad and alone, was now becoming a fun pastime with these strangers. She liked how it felt to finally let loose and not have to worry about anyone else but herself. All that mattered in that moment was poker, the guys, and Kiba.

At some time throughout the night, she had decided to sit with Kiba. She had sat down on his lap and had since made herself at home there. Kiba didn't seem to mind, and unlike most men, he wasn't getting aroused or trying to cop a feel so Ino guessed she wasn't crossing any lines as a married woman. After all, she had done the same thing with Choji a million times.

Ino looked back at Kiba, she was laughing at something one of the guys had said and Kiba was grinning back at her, leaning back in his chair and listening intently to the poker game. He seemed to be relaxed simply to be there and watch Ino have fun for a night. Ino swung her leg over so that she was straddling him and she leaned forward, whispering into his ear.

"There's hardly anyone here. Aren't you going to sing to me?"

Kiba shook his head and laughed. "I'm not drunk enough."

Ino pouted. "Sing for me, Kiba."

Kiba smiled. "You first, princess."

"I can't sing."

Kiba smiled. "Confidence, Ino. By now, we've all drank enough liquid confidence to think that your voice will sound like fucking Celine Dion."

Ino hesitated.

"Come on, Ino. Guys like girls who take risks. It impresses them. Impress me, Ino."

She pulled away and stared at him head on. His cheeks were a little red from all of the drinking, but his expression was serious. It was almost as though the alcohol hadn't affected him at all, and here she was falling all over herself.

"Kiba, I don't think I can-"

"Who thinks Ino should sing?" Kiba shouted, raising his glass high above them.

A chorus of cheers rang out from around the room.

"Sing to us Ino!"

"You must have the voice of an angel!"

Ino shoved Kiba back against the chair and Kiba winked at her. "See? The crowd loves you. Go sing for them."

Ino rolled her eyes as she sloppily peeled herself from Kiba's lap, stumbling over to the stage and latching onto the mic for support. The small crowd before her cheered.

"Gimme a good song, you guys."

Kiba nodded. Ino watched him toss aside the booklet that listed off all of the songs one could sing at this bar. He must have memorized the songs by now. He picked up the remote to the karaoke machine and began clicking through the songs. Soon, a fast song began to play. Taking in the sounds of the guitars and drums, Ino realized she had never heard the song before. Her hands began to get clammy. Why had she agreed to this? She stared up that the screen and prayed she'd be able to keep up.

"Why do you care what people think?

Are you hooked up to their leash?

You know anklebiters

Ate up your personality."

_What was this song? _The crowd cheered her on as she sang.

"Try to remember how it felt

To just make up your own steps

And let anklebiters

Chew up, spit out someone else."

_Had Kiba picked this song on purpose? _She glanced over at him, he was staring at her intently, as though he were waiting for something. She felt a little annoyed. Was he trying to tell her something?

"Fall in love with yourself.

Because someday you're gonna be

The only one you've got.

Someday you're gonna be

The only one you've got."

_Damn, this song is catchy. _She began to bob to the rhythm of the beat. That seemed to stir up the crowd a little more. She laughed.

"Why you wanna please the world

And leave yourself to drop dead?

Someday you're gonna be

The only one you've got."

_He definitely picked this song for a reason. _She began to use the rest of the space on the stage to dance and sing. Her voice would shriek a bit at the higher notes, but no one seemed to mind. _Fun. This is fun._

"What do you actually expect?

A broken mirror to reflect?

You know, anklebiters

Gave you a false perception.

And why do I defend

(C'mon, c'mon) your ignorance?

Oh, why do I defend

(C'mon, c'mon) the state you're in?"

_Why __do__ I defend Shikamaru? Why do I tell myself it's all my fault? Why?_

"You should fall in love

With yourself, oh, again.

Fall in love with yourself.

Because someday you're gonna be

The only one you've got.

Someday you're gonna be

The only one you've got.

Why you wanna please the world

And leave yourself to drop dead?

Someday you're gonna be

The only one you've got."

The song broke down into a chorus of clapping. Ino leapt from the stage and forced all of the guys to stand-even Kiba-and clap along with her. Soon enough, everyone was singing along. She felt her heart take flight and soar through the air, escaping into the smoke of the empty bar.

"Anklebiters! Anklebiters!

Someday you're gonna be alone!

Anklebiters! Anklebiters!"

Through the commotion, Ino locked eyes with Kiba and he winked at her. She smiled back, not letting herself look away from him this time.

_Thanks, mutt._

**A/N: I do not own any of the lyrics used during this chapter. All lyrics belong to Paramore and Aqua. And yes, Liquid Confidence is a reference to youmeatsix. All of these things belong to the bands. Not raycatdo. Don't sue me for all I own. You won't get much anyway. Hope you enjoyed the chapter :) R&R please. Or PM me. Always nice to hear from you guys :)**


	8. Chapter 8: She Has No Idea

**It was now close to around 4 in the morning. **Anyone remaining in the bar was either passed out on the bar or they were stumbling out the door. The excitement of Ino's performance earlier had evaporated along with the sea of young men who had left soon after. Ino had received handfuls of napkins-each had the name and number of all of her suitors. Kiba had watched as each of the guys handed her a napkin, a content smile on his face. He couldn't even bring himself to feel jealous. He was just too happy to see the look of pure delight on Ino's face over every napkin given to her that night.

Now that things had died down, he leaned back in his chair, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes low. He felt exhausted from all of the night's festivities. He just wanted to take Ino back to his home, curl up with her, and fall asleep.

"Kiba," Ino murmured into the table where she lay.

"Ready to go home, princess?" Kiba teased.

She said something that Kiba couldn't quite make out. He pulled his chair closer to her and pushed her hair from her face gently, curling the golden tendrils behind her ear and leaning closer to her face.

"What did you say?"

Ino sighed sleepily and Kiba felt his heart melt. The sound was reminiscent of when Akamaru had been a puppy and he would sigh in his sleep. It was just adorable. "You said you'd sing after me and when everyone's gone. We're not leaving until you sing."

Kiba snickered. "But I'm not wasted yet."

"Kiba!" she meant to shout it but it came out a whisper. The way she breathed his name made Kiba's ears perk up and sent shivers down his spine.

He examined her, noticing how she seemed to be fighting to stay awake. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was even, yet she kept forcing her eyes open every few minutes. Calmly, he stood up and walked over to the stage. He fidgeted with the remote before reluctantly choosing a song. It was a little loud and a tad upbeat for this time of night in the bar, but he didn't care. It said everything he wanted to say.

"Where is your boy tonight?

I hope he is a gentleman.

And maybe he won't find out what I know,

You were the last good thing about this part of town."

He sang the opening line. He saw Ino's eyes flutter open and she stared him down. They locked eyes and he continued.

"When I wake up

I'm willing to take my chances on

The hope I forget that you hate him more than you notice

I wrote this for you, for you, so-"

Kiba prayed she knew that this was more than a song. Just like the song he had picked for her, this one had heart. This one had meaning.

"You need him

I could be him

I could be an accident but I'm still tryin'

And that's more than I can say for him"

He hoped the truth in the lyrics cut into her. The relevance of this song…of the meaning. She'd have to be an idiot not to notice, right?

"Where is your boy tonight?

I hope he is a gentleman

And maybe he won't find out what I know

You were the last good thing about this part of town"

_I could be him…_

"Someday I'll appreciate in value

Get off my ass and call you

In the mean time I'll sport my brand new fashion

Of waking up with pants on at four in the afternoon"

He felt his palms sweating. Why did this song seem to go on forever? Why did Ino seem completely uninterested?

"D'you need him

I could be him

I could be an accident but I'm still tryin'

And that's more than I can say for him

Where is your boy tonight?

I hope he is a gentleman

And maybe he won't find out what I know

You were the last good thing about this part of town"

_Thank Kami this is almost over. I'm an idiot. Of course she wouldn't notice. This is just a song. Just a goddamn song._

"Won't find out

He won't find out

Won't find out

He won't find out

Where is your boy tonight?

I hope he is a gentleman

Maybe he won't find out what I know

You were the last good thing about this part of town

Where is your boy tonight?

I hope he is a gentleman

Maybe he won't find out what I know

You were the last good thing about this part of town."

Now he officially felt like shit. He only chose such an honest song because he figured Ino would be able to decipher his feelings hidden somewhere in the lyrics. But she seemed to drunk and sleepy to notice or care. As Kiba exited the stage and mad his way back to Ino, he saw that she was still very much half asleep.

"That was beautiful," Ino muttered. "You're a really good singer, Kiba."

Kiba peered down at her solemnly. Her head was resting on her arms as she leaned against the table for support. Half empty scotch glasses littered the table along with the hundreds of napkins she had acquired throughout the evening. She was totally trashed and still looked as gorgeous as ever.

_Eat your heart out._

Kiba pulled out his wallet and dropped a tip onto the table. He then tugged off his jacket and draped it across Ino's bare shoulders. "Come on, Ino. I'm gonna' take you home."

Ino groaned loudly and pushed against his chest as he pulled her towards him. "I wanna' stay!"

"Ino, I've got to take you home. Shikamaru will kill me," Kiba forced her arms to her sides and lifted her bridal-style. She lightly punched his chest a couple of times before giving up and resting her head against his neck.

"He doesn't care about me. I could die and he wouldn't care. Let me die, Kiba."

Kiba pulled her closer to him and buried his face into her hair, breathing in the sweet scent of flowers and berries it unleashed. She was so warm and soft…How could Shikamaru ignore her? Was he gay? "Stop it, Ino."

He carried her out of the bar and into the street. Although it was still dark out, Kiba knew the sun would be up in another hour or so. _Would_ Shikamaru miss her at all?

Kiba snorted. _Doubt it._

Kiba's mind began scheming a million different ways that he could convince himself that it wouldn't be in poor taste of him to offer Ino to stay at his house for the night. He wasn't being selfish, just helping a friend. He didn't have any ulterior motives, just wanted Ino to get a good night's sleep. Still, Kiba didn't want to do something that might upset the slumbering girl in his arms. Like a dog, he aimed to please, and if she wasn't happy, nether was he.

"Ino," he shook her gently. She stirred ever so slightly and nuzzled up closer to him. "Ino, do you want to go home?"

Her eye brows furrowed and she shook her head. "Uh-uh."

He swallowed and looked straight ahead, hoping he wouldn't get rejected too harshly. "Do you want to come home with me?"

He winced a little, waiting for some sort of physical attack or a slew of insults. He flinched a little when her hand grazed his neck.

_Shit! She's going to strangle me!_

He braced himself, ready to toss her to the side and make a run for it when he felt her other arm meet his neck too. Somewhere at the nape of his neck, Ino's hands intertwined and he realized she was hugging him.

"I'm so tired," she whispered.

He beamed, letting himself enjoy the sudden affection. "Don't worry. We're almost home."

He opened the door to his house and saw Akamaru lying on the floor. Akamaru lifted his head as the humans entered the room and his tail began to thump against the floor.

"Hey, Akamaru," Kiba whispered. "Close the door behind me, would ya? I gotta put the princess to bed."

Akamaru got up, shook himself from head to tail and waddled over to the door, closing it as Kiba passed through the living room and into his bedroom. Kiba tiptoed to the side of his bed and carefully placed Ino onto the messy mattress.

_She's in my bed! _His mind was cheering for him. For once, he didn't care that a girl wasn't in his bed to have sex with him. He felt blessed just having her wrapped up in his sheets.

He watched her curl up into a ball as soon as her body touched the soft fabric of the bed. As gently as possible, so as not to wake her, Kiba peeled off her sandals and set them onto the floor. He tugged at the raggedy blankets, pulling them up and over her body.

When he was finished, he stood over her, admiring his good work. _Heh, sleeping beauty. She really is a princess._

The soft sound of paws on wood interrupted Kiba's thoughts and he turned to see Akamaru peeking around the corner at him, his head cocked to the side. He gave Kiba a warning growl.

"Oh, please, Akamaru. Gimme' some credit. I know I'm a horn dog but geez. Like I would ever-while she's sleeping?"

Akamaru continued to watch Kiba until Kiba forced himself to put space in between him and his bed. He left the room, closing the door as softly as he could behind him.

"There. Happy now?" Kiba muttered. Akamaru's tail beat the ground furiously. "What do ya' say we get some sleep? I know I'm beat."

Akamaru yipped with appreciation and rushed to the couch. He climbed onto the cushions and patiently waited for Kiba to join him. Kiba slid out of his shirt and kicked off his pants and shoes. He lay down next to Akamaru and Akamaru rested his head on Kiba's chest.

The room was silent, save for the sound of the ceiling fan spinning above their heads. After a moment, Kiba whispered. "What do you think, Akamaru? Is she a keeper, or what?"

Akamaru looked at Kiba in the corner of his eye and his tail wagged slightly. Kiba knew Akamaru had been worrying about him for some time now. Seeing his owner taking new girls to bed almost every night and acting so cold towards everyone probably had the canine feeling like he had to babysit Kiba at times. He was sure that Akamaru felt hopeful that Kiba was finally changing for the better. He didn't want to disappoint him, but-

"She's married," Kiba admitted. Akamaru snorted in annoyance, spraying snot into the air. Kiba could almost feel the disappointment radiating from his dog. _Typical Kiba, right? Going after married women… _"It's not like that. She's married to a guy who doesn't deserve her, but I'm helping them."

Akamaru finally turned to face him. Kiba could guess what he was thinking: _why help the woman you love be happy with another man?_

"I think," Kiba paused and took a deep breath. "I think she's my mate."

Akamaru's ears perked up and his eyes slowly began to flood with a look of understanding. Kiba saw through his eyes that he was beginning to understand all of the signs: all of the blond one-night stands, the drinking, moving into his own home, distancing himself from everyone… Akamaru rested his head back down onto Kiba's shoulder, his cold nose poking at the young shinobi's cheek. Kiba chortled appreciatively as Akamaru began cleaning his face with his tongue.

"I love you too, boy," Kiba gasped in between laughs.

As the two settled back down to finally get some shut-eye, Kiba couldn't help but wonder aloud, "I wonder what Hana and Tsume would think of Ino."

Akamaru trembled at the mention of Tsume and Kiba roared with laughter. "Yeah. Tsume would probably think I was crazy."

**Kiba awoke to a door slamming. **He shot up quickly, scaring Akamaru awake as well. They sat up just in time to see the furious blond storm across the living room and land her hand on Kiba's cheek with a mighty slapping sound. Kiba was almost sure she had knocked the pigment out of his skin.

"What the hell, Ino?" Kiba demanded, holding up his hands to his injured cheek to ease the pain. She sure knew how to hit.

_ Damn, did she just rearrange my face?_

"What do _you_ mean 'what the hell'? I should be saying the same to you! What do you think you're doing?"

Kiba sneered at her. "Sleeping! Or, at least, I _was _until your crazy ass woke me up."

Ino balled her hands into fists and began clenching and unclenching them. "Why the hell am I at your house?"

Kiba gaped at her in disbelief. "I asked you last night if you wanted to go home and you tol me no!"

Ino put one hand on her hip and squeezed the bridge of her nose with her fingers on the other. Kiba couldn't help but think that if this moment wasn't so heated, he would have thought she looked really sexy. Her attitude was so fierce, it was hot. Her hair was still down and was lightly tousled. If this was her bed head, Kiba would gladly find ways to keep her in bed all of the time. "You listened to a drunk girl?"

"Well, shit, Ino. If you're not beating me up when you're drunk, you're beating me up when you're sober. Nothing I do pleases you."

"Just forget it, mongrel," she hissed, going through the process of putting her hair back into a ponytail. "You just don't understand what it's like to have someone at home worrying about you."

Kiba glared at her. Did she really just pull that shit on him? He felt her words prick at his heart like a thousand tiny needles. "I'd rather come home to an empty house than live with someone who doesn't care about me."

Ino had finished putting her hair up. She let her arms fall to her sides and she gazed outside the living room window, a blank expression on her face. Kiba felt bad now that he had said it. He wished he could take it back, but now, it was lingering out there. It hung heavy in the air like a thick fog. It weighed down on each of them.

"So what?" Ino finally said. "At least I'm doing something to fix my situation."

She walked over and tugged open his front door, letting a blast of afternoon air fill up the room.

"I'll see you later for my next lesson. Don't let this happen again."

Kiba waited until she had left to throw a bottle against the wall. Akamaru snapped at him and he rolled his eyes.

"She's infuriating," Kiba growled. "She's confusing and scary and ridiculous and crazy and vicious-"

He paused for a moment to catch his breath. Akamaru was watching him intently, waiting for what Kiba would complain about next.

"And…and she's…she's so…damn…sexy," he heaved a sigh and let himself fall back onto the couch. Akamaru shook his head and curled up beside Kiba, ready to fall back asleep. Kiba stared up at the ceiling fan, watching it go around and around and around. "Tsume would like her."

_**A/N: hope you guys liked the newest chapter :) I barely work this week so I'll probably have chapters up again soon :) Lyrics belong to Fall Out Boy, not me. Don't sue me, etc etc. **_

_**Please R&R :) Love you guys :)**_


	9. Chapter 9: Laundry Day

**Ino was fuming. **She stomped away from Kiba's house and in the direction of the home she shared with Shikamaru. She still couldn't believe the audacity of Konoha's canine player. That animal had put her in his bed! Did he even consider the fact that she had a husband? He was such a pig! She muttered about a million curses under her breath as she walked down the street, her hands were curled into fists and the dark vibes she was giving off was enough to make the passersby shrink away in fear.

After she had given herself some time to catch her breath and calm herself, she paused for a moment in the street. She pulled her ponytail until it draped over her shoulder. She brought the end up to her nose and sniffed it. His cologne clung desperately to her golden mane and she smiled at the familiar smell.

_Last night was nice, _she thought dreamily. She replayed as much of last night in her head as she could, although most of the night's events were lost somewhere in the haze of her drunken stupor. Still, she managed to gather up bits and pieces of her memories and one thing that stuck out most was the sound of Kiba's surprisingly charming singing voice.

**_"I could be him…" _**The words echoed in Ino's ears and she combed her fingers through her hair absentmindedly. Had he picked that song on purpose? Did it mean something like hers had?

She gulped. _Do I want it to? _

She blushed, remembering how she had felt Kiba's arms wrap around her and the warmth of his chest. It had felt surprisingly pleasant. It was the first intimate physical contact she had had in months, and waking up in his bed had been refreshing in a way. Everything had smelled like him and, even though she had woken up alone, she didn't feel alone.

She gazed up into the sky, a bird passed overhead. She tried to tell herself she was angry with Kiba, that he was a perverted douche who had tried to take advantage of her. Ino sighed and began walking again, much more calmly this time, lost in thought. Truth be told, Kiba had made her the happiest she had been in a while, and that scared her. This made her angry with herself. She was married. She wasn't supposed to enjoy the bar, or being carried, or waking up in another man's bed.

_What would your mother say?_

Ino frowned and winced when she felt a strange, painful itch developing somewhere in her cleavage. She hurried into an alleyway and stuck her hand down the front of her shirt, digging in between her boobs and searching for whatever was poking her. Her finger grazed something that felt like flimsy paper. She wrenched it out of her shirt and saw that it was a crumpled up napkin.

Carefully, Ino unfolded it and straightened it out until it mostly resembled its former self. She saw that there was something scrawled across the napkin, she squinted her eyes to read it in the shadows of the alley:

Ino,

Poker will never be the same without you! Hit me up sometime, beautiful!

-Aito

At the bottom of the napkin, Aito had scrawled his phone number.

Ino gawked at the napkin for a moment before slowly breaking out into a smile, which then evolved into flat out laughter. She held her hand over her mouth to mask her giggles but soon gave up and let the laughing fit take over.

_Maybe Kiba really does know a thing or two about this love stuff, _she thought as she continued her walk home, laughing hysterically along the way. _Or maybe he knows a thing or two about me._

**Ino had the song from last night stuck in her head. **She danced around the living room, clad in only her underwear, humming along to the song in her head. She only opened her mouth to belt out "anklebiters!" every so often.

The noise woke up Shikamaru, who stepped out of their bedroom, his face covered in red marks from where he had lay on his pillow. He yawned and stretched, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. As he began to wake up, he noticed the half-naked, dancing woman in his living room. He watched her for a moment, admiring the curves of her body and the way her ponytail twirled behind her like a streamer.

It took him a moment to realize that this was completely out of character, not to mention just plain weird. "Ino, what are you-"

"Cleaning," Ino replied cheerfully. She bounced passed him and began sweeping, humming to her heart's content.

Shikamaru continued to stare at her as though she had just grown a tail and a third eye. "In your underwear?"

"I had to do laundry. Besides," Ino giggled playfully, winking and wiggling her rump in his direction. "I didn't think you'd mind."

He blushed and looked away quickly. He began to walk away and head towards the kitchen when Ino tugged on his hand, holding him in place long enough for her to plant a kiss on his reddening cheek.

"Good morning, handsome."

Shikamaru gulped and pulled his hand away gently. He rubbed at his neck awkwardly. "Uhm…thanks. Good morning to you too."

Ino beamed at him, turning on her heel, and returning to her chores. Shikamaru watched her carefully, in case she had something else up her sleeve. When he was satisfied that she had lost interest in him, he walked into the dining room and took a seat at the empty table. He scanned over the table top, confused. "Where's breakfast?"

Ino didn't even hesitate. "I already made mine, but there's some toast or cereal if you want to make something."

Shikamaru just stared at her. Not that he minded making his own breakfast, but Ino had always cooked something up for him since they had been married without him even asking. What was going on with her?

"What a drag," he acted like breakfast would be so time consuming. He shuffled over to the fridge, prepared to forage for food. He paused abruptly when he saw a crumpled napkin hung up on the refrigerator. He read I silently to himself before peeling it off of the fridge and walking over to Ino.

"Who is Aito?" Shikamaru demanded, holding the napkin up to her face.

Ino rolled her eyes and shook her head, laughing as she continued to sweep. "Please, Shikamaru, don't get all worked up. He's my poker buddy. I had so much fun last night. I thought I'd like to go out again sometime."

Shikamaru nodded at the napkin. "Is this what you were doing last night?"

Ino stopped cleaning and locked eyes with him. He saw the tranquil rivers in her eyes morph into a raging ocean. There was a hurricane going on in those blue orbs. He shrank back slightly. "Yeah. So?"

He didn't know what to say. A normal husband would be mad, right? "Ino, I was worried sick."

Ino felt her heart skip a beat at his confession. She opened her mouth to apologize to her husband, to say she would never go out again. She would wait for him at home so he would never have to worry about her. But something stopped her. She thought of Kiba and all that he had taught her: guys liked girls with their own agendas. Girls who had confidence. She had to be that girl. She had to stand her ground and show Shikamaru that she could have a life outside of him.

She licked her lips. "Don't be worried, Shika. I can take care of myself. I was just out having fun with friends. I figured you wouldn't be home most of the night anyway. Was I right?"

Shikamaru clenched his jaw and looked away from Ino. He handed the napkin back to her and sighed. Ino figured that she had guessed correctly and that he had been out all night. His reaction must have been a sign of his retreat, hoping that she wouldn't press him with more questions.

"Sorry I got worked up," Shikamaru muttered. "I'm…happy for you. I'm glad you had some fun last night."

Ino let a smirk creep onto her face. "Thanks, Shika. I'll definitely do it again sometime soon."

Shikamaru nodded gravely and walked back into the dining room.

Shikamaru sat back down at the dining room table and watched Ino sweep. The way she held herself was different today. He couldn't tell if it was the sun bathing her in light or the way she smiled and sang as she cleaned, but Ino seemed to be radiating with a new aura. She didn't seem like his wife at all right now. The way her hips swayed as she walked, and how her breasts bounced with every jump and twirl of her ridiculous dance, Shikamaru couldn't help but wonder why it was so hard for him to want her. Was he stupid or something?

Ino bent forward to sweep up the dust into the dustpan. As she straightened herself back up, she felt the heat of someone standing behind her. She peeked over her shoulder and saw that it was Shikamaru, pressing himself up against her.

"Shikamaru, what are you doing?"

She felt his arms snake around her waist. A soft moan escaped from her lips as his fingers trailed along her stomach, reaching up to her ribs and sliding under her bra.

"You look really nice this morning, Ino," he mumbled into her neck.

His hands began to knead her breasts and she gasped at the warmth of them. The dustpan in her hand clattered to the floor, scattering dust and grime everywhere.

"Shikamaru, I-"

He tugged roughly on her nipples, causing her to cry out in a mixture of pain and pleasure. Ignoring her cries, Shikamaru carried Ino away from the broom and dustpan and onto the couch.

_Is this really working? _Ino couldn't believe it! Kiba was right. She gazed up at Shikamaru through her eye lashes and saw that Shikamaru was undressing himself. _Are we finally going to make love?_

Shikamaru kneeled onto the couch, fully naked. He inched towards her and Ino saw his chest was heaving with each breath he took. Shikamaru grabbed Ino by her hips and twisted her until she was on all fours. He pulled the crotch of her underwear to the side and began lining himself up to her, pushing against her. His member was begging for entry.

"Shikamaru, maybe we could try missionary this time?" Ino offered hopefully. If this was making love, she wanted to look him in the eyes. More than anything, she wanted to feel like he noticed her, all of her, not just her ass.

"We are already in this position. Let's just go, Ino."

Ino rested her head against the arm of the couch and her nails gripped into the fabric. She wasn't even in the mood at this point, but she figured she might as well let him have his fun. She was his wife, after all. She should want him to be happy, right? Married guys needed a loving wife, right?

She winced and bit her lower lip as he slid into her. The friction from the lack of lubrication was making this extremely uncomfortable.

_It's fine, _Ino said to herself as Shikamaru began to pull out and plunge back into her. _It'll naturally get wetter soon, and then I can just wait for him to finish._

As Shikamaru began to pick up the pace, Ino's mind scrambled to distract her.

She thought of Kiba. She felt mildly guilty, but she had lied to him. She did remember telling him she wanted to go home with him. She remembered how he had offered her the option of him taking her home or her coming home with him. He had let her choose. He had worried more about her than himself. Kiba, her newest friend, seemed to just give and give to Ino. And here was her husband, and all he could do was take.

_**A/N: I like being honest with you guys, so I appreciate that you are always honest with me. I appreciate the constructive criticism and I will take it to heart and focus on making this story better for my readers. I appreciate any and all reviews. I'm sorry if any parts of my story are confusing or out of character, however, I promise that most questions you have will be answered in later chapters. If, by the end of this whole thing, you are left with unanswered questions or wondering "What the hell did I just waste my time reading?" that is my fault and I will apologize. But I promise I will try my best to give you a damn good tale!**_

_**Just a quick thank you to those of you who are keeping up with this story, reading and reviewing. And a major thank you to my good friend, ukrexican17, whose stories 50 Shades of Sand and 50 Reasons Why were so well written that they inspired me to start my own stories. If you haven't already, I implore you to go check those stories out. They're amazing. **_


	10. Chapter 10: Hoshi

**Kiba was greeted by the usual sounds of the Inuzuka compound: barking and howling and the shouting of clan members.** For whatever reason, being around Ino had lifted Kiba's spirits, and had felt the urge to actually get out into the world and maybe reconnect with some friends and family. He knew Hana and Tsume had been itching to get him back to the house for dinner. He decided that today, he would finally oblige.

Akamaru followed faithfully behind Kiba as he strolled up the pathway to his childhood home. In the front yard, Kiba could see a woman who looked strikingly similar to himself, except with make-up and lady parts hanging up some laundry. A large wolf with an eye patch and one ear lay at her feet, enjoying the soft carpet of grass below him. Hearing Kiba's footsteps, the woman turned to face him and a feral grin spread across her face. On a woman like her, even her smile seemed scary. Her whole demeanor made her seem wild and unpredictable, and yet that was part of her charm. She placed her hands on her hips, unlike Ino, the pose didn't suit her.

"I thought I had a son, but I wasn't quite sure…" Tsume teased.

Kiba rolled his eyes and began dragging his feet. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. "I get it mom, I need to stop by more often."

"We've missed you," Tsume admitted. She pulled Kiba to her in one quick motion and draped an arm around his shoulders, using a fist to mess up his hair. Kiba struggled against her and whined loudly, trying to pull free from his mother's grip. Tsume gripped him even tighter.

"Speak for yourself," another voice entered the conversation and Kiba paused in his complaining to see another-albeit, less monstrous looking-woman standing at the front door about ten feet away. He glowered at her.

"Ha ha, Hana. You're so funny," Kiba replied dryly.

Hana chuckled and walked over to rustle his hair up some more while Tsume had him pinned.

Akamaru yipped excitedly at all of the commotion and everyone looked down at him in surprise. Hana stooped down to scratch behind his ears. Kiba had never seen Akamaru's tail wag so hard.

"Have you been neglecting this poor dog again, Kiba?" Hana asked.

"I would never neglect Akamaru!" Kiba answered matter-of-factly, folding his arms over his chest and closing his eyes defiantly. Something about his sister always seemed to make him regress into a child again. He'd never admit it, but he sort of missed the sibling rivalry.

Hana directed Akamaru's attention towards three dogs that were playing off in the distance. Kiba instantly recognized them as the Haimaru Brothers. "Go join them, Akamaru. We'll call you in for dinner."

Akamaru barked gleefully, stopping to lick at Kiba's hand as a farewell before trotting off to join in on the fun.

Hana turned and walked back towards the house, disappearing from view. Tsume held fast to Kiba, pulling him in closer and growling in his ear. "So, how's my little pup?"

Kiba gnashed his teeth as he and his mom awkwardly stumbled into the house. "I'm not a 'pup'. And I'm fine, thank you very much."

Hana was at the stove when they entered the kitchen, sautéing some meat and peppers in a pan. The smell invaded Kiba's nostrils and he began salivating at the aroma. He hadn't had a home-cooked meal in months-one of the down falls to living without a woman. Hana snorted. "You'll always be a puppy to us."

Kiba growled and finally tugged free from his mother's smothering arms. He settled down at the island in the middle of the kitchen and picked up a green pepper, biting into it viciously.

"I'm not a puppy…" Kiba muttered sulkily.

Hana shook her head and sprinkled some onions into the mix, causing the pan to sizzle and pop. "_Anyway_…how's the bachelor pad? You haven't invited us over yet, so we wouldn't know."

Tsume narrowed her eyes at Kiba. "Yeah. What's up with that?"

Kiba's munching slowed to a halt and he glanced back and forth between the two women before him, an eye brow raised. Why were these two prying? Was a little space too much to ask? He made sure to stare daggers directly at Hana; he wanted her to know that he was specifically irritated with her for getting Tsume on his ass. He gulped down the mouthful of pepper he had before speaking. "I'm still settling in is all."

Hana wasn't buying it for a second. "After five months, you're still settling in?"

Tsume gave Hana a sly smile and whispered, "It must not be dirty enough yet."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Kiba snapped.

The women chortled heartily and Hana went back to stirring the food. Tsume turned back to her son and looked him up and down. It had been months since she had last seen him. Her conscious mind told her that Kiba was now a man and she didn't care that he was out on his own, However, deep down, her maternal instincts were wearing her down with worry and she was overwhelmed with relief when she had seen him walking up to the house.

Really looking at him now, she realized he was taller, darker, his hair was shaggier with some whiskers poking out along his jaw line, and his body seemed much more built. She also noticed the slight bags under his eyes, and the way he held himself seemed a little more serious. Something had changed in him, that she was sure of.

"Something's different about you," Tsume said. She leaned down against the counter top until she was eye to eye with Kiba. "Did I miss something?"

Kiba's eyes widened and he blushed furiously. Hana peered over her shoulder, watching and waiting to see what the sudden pause was all about.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kiba stammered.

Tsume grinned and Kiba shuddered at the evil smirk and began sweating bullets. Tsume could read him like a book and he didn't want her or Hana figuring out that he had found a mate just yet. It was just too embarrassing, especially the fact that Ino was married and was about as interested in Kiba as she was in the dirt on the bottom of her shoe. He just hoped and prayed that maybe he could rip out a few of the pages before she had skimmed through the chapters of his soul.

Signaling a 'eureka' moment, Tsume suddenly snapped her fingers and Kiba just about fainted with terror. "You've been training!"

Kiba gaped at her like a deer in headlights. "W-what?"

"You've been training," Tsume repeated, beaming like a proud mother. "You're taller and buffer and more serious-looking. I'd say you're training and maybe even starting to grow up a bit."

After the initial shock wore off, Kiba felt his head slowly nodding in agreement. He _had_ been training a little, so that wasn't a complete lie. "Yeah, actually. I have been training a little more lately."

Hana nodded her approval. "Way to go, baby brother."

Kiba let his muscles relax once more as he heaved a sigh of relief. He avoided her eyes as Tsume grabbed some plates and shuffled passed him to set the table. Hana turned off the burner and stirred the food gently. He wondered what those two would think of his predicament with Ino. Tsume would most likely tell him to get off his ass and just tell Ino how he felt. She'd insist that Kiba be the wolf in this relationship and pounce on the voluptuous blond, claiming her as his own. Hana, on the other hand, would probably tell him not to meddle in the affairs of others. She'd scold him just for having considered it. Sure, as his sister she'd feel sorry for him, but she would insist that his actions were diabolical and in poor taste.

Kiba didn't know which one of them would be more right. He didn't know if he'd be able to take their advice anyway. Either way, he didn't want them worrying over him and trying to help him get over Ino. They'd make him focus on bettering himself and forgetting about Ino, which seemed impossible at this point. They'd make him stop going out and partying and picking up girls and they'd probably force him to move back in too. None of these options sounded the least bit appealing.

"You coming?" Hana was standing in the doorway to the dining room, the pan in her hand. Her face was shrouded with worry and Kiba gave her a weak smile.

"Am I coming?" his nose crinkled. "If it's your cooking, I'll take my time getting there."

Hana frowned and rolled her eyes. "Missed you too, bro."

**The rest of his family reunion had gone well and Kiba had returned home with Tsume and Hana still as clueless as ever to his circumstances. **Still, acting happy in front of others was more exhausting than it would seem. As soon as Kiba had returned home, he decided a nap under the sun would be in his best interest.

Kiba followed Akamaru into the back yard. He sat down, sighed, and rested his head on Akamaru's back. The two friends closed their eyes and began dozing under the sun, a fun pastime the two shared every now and then.

Kiba began drifting in and out of sleep, his dreams being cut up into short snippets that didn't make any shred of sense. At some point, he jerked awake and felt the presence of someone standing over him. Slightly annoyed that someone was interrupting his nap, he didn't even open his eyes to speak. "Can I help you?"

"A boy and his dog. How cute."

Kiba felt butterflies beginning to soar in the pit of his gut at the sound of her voice. He tried to calm himself by focusing on his breathing. That was the only way he'd be able to keep the ball in his court, he couldn't let her get the best of him.

"I am not a boy."

"You look like a boy to me," Ino sounded unconvinced.

"Trust me, I'm much more-_ahem_-developed than a boy."

He heard her scoff at him and he finally opened one of his eyes to look up at the young woman towering over him. She had a look of disgust on her angelic face and her cheeks were bright pink. He grinned up at her.

"I'll take your word for it. That, or I could just ask every other girl in the village," Ino shot back.

Kiba clutched his chest and winced in mock agony. "Ouch, Yamanaka."

She actually smiled at that, sticking out her tongue and winking at him. Kiba couldn't help but grin up at her. Gazing up at the beautiful woman before him, the sun's rays outlining her figure and bathing her in light, Kiba couldn't help but notice that Ino somehow seemed different from when he had first seen her at the party. She seemed genuinely happy today, she wasn't putting on an act this time. Maybe his advice was actually helping her? The realization made him happy and he sat up, patting the patch of grass next to him. Ino took the invite and gracefully sat down beside him. Akamaru raised his head to see why Kiba had left him, but when he noticed Ino, he lay his head back down onto his paws.

"So, how did things go with Shikamaru?" Kiba asked. He picked up blades of grass and twirled them between his fingers. He honestly wasn't too interested in Shikamaru, but he thought it'd be polite to ask.

"Well, Shikamaru woke up and he was surprised I had been out. He said he was worried about me."

_Bullshit._ "That's good."

"Then, when he finally calmed down, he said he was glad that I had had some fun."

Kiba nodded, plastering a thoughtful expression onto his face to hide his true thoughts: _Shikamaru is spewing a bunch of bullshiiiiiiit._

Ino began copying Kiba and started picking at the grass. "And then…something strange happened."

Kiba dropped the grass and looked over at Ino. She seemed to be way too interested in the blades of grass, almost as if she had never seen the stuff before. She was definitely blushing.

_Oh Kami, no! _Kiba tried to hold back the panic and fury that was growing inside of him. "Oh?"

"He…we…um…" she turned her head so that he couldn't see her face. "We had sex this morning."

Ino's words sent a crushing blow to Kiba's stomach. There it was. Finally, the truth about Ino's virginity. He knew he had been clinging to an almost nonexistent thread of hope, but now that hope had been completely destroyed with the finality of this moment.

Kiba looked back down at the grass. He tried not to, but he kept imagining Shikamaru and Ino, completely nude, their bodies melting together as Ino moaned Shikamaru's name. The image just about killed him and his instincts told him to hunt Nara down and annihilate him.

_Control yourself, _he thought. _Ino loves him, Ino is happy. Don't destroy her happiness._

Kiba instead took his anger out on the poor grass, carelessly ripping it from the ground by its roots and tossing the blades to the side. "And how'd that go?"

Ino shrugged. "He still won't look at me."

_Damn him…I'd look at every inch of her body. I'd stare at the goddamn wall if she asked me to._

"That's why you're back for more advice, huh?" Kiba asked. "And here I thought you were starting to like me."

Ino snorted. "Don't flatter yourself."

Kiba laughed and turned towards her. "Well I figured you'd come crawling back to Uncle Kiba for help so I already planned out your next task."

Ino seemed unimpressed. "You're one of those creepy uncles, aren't you?"

He ignored her. "Follow me, young grass hopper."

"Oh, Kami…" Ino groaned.

Kiba stood and offered Ino his hand. Reluctantly, she took it and he pulled her into a standing position. He tried to ignore the tingling feeling he felt in his fingertips as he pulled his hand from her and shoved it into his pocket. He turned and led the way to the front of the house and opened the door, inviting Ino in. Ino shot him a suspicious look but entered the house anyway. Kiba followed suit.

"So, what's the plan this time, sensei?" Ino teased, resting her hand on her hip in her signature stance.

Kiba couldn't help but conjure up a million different glorious fantasies he could play out with this tantalizing woman calling him "sensei", but now was not the time to be a pervert. "When was the last time you hung out with a girl friend?"

"At the party, I ran into Sakura," Ino reminded him.

"No. I mean genuinely hang out. Like a girls' night."

Ino consciously placed a finger on her chin and scrunched up her face thoughtfully. He could see the wheels turning behind those cerulean eyes. "I can't…I don't recall."

Kiba nodded. "Exactly my point. You need friends outside of your husband, and by friends, I mean genuine friends-not random poker buddies you pick up at bars."

Ino shrugged. "I've always been best friends with Shikamaru and Choji. I mean, Sakura was my friend but lately we haven't seen much of each other."

"Ino, there's a distinct difference between guy friends and girl friends. There are things I can tell Naruto that I would never dream of telling Hinata. Don't try to tell me I'm wrong."

He added that last part in when he saw Ino open her mouth to argue. She instantly closed her mouth and looked like she was seriously contemplating what Kiba was telling her.

"How long should I stay out?" Ino finally asked.

Kiba shrugged. "Why are you asking me? It's your night, nobody else's."

Ino tried to hide the smile that was trying to force its way onto her face. "So you're suggesting I go hang out with Sakura for as long as I want?"

Kiba nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"What about my husband?"

"What about your husband? He's not your master. Call him up and tell him you're going out with friends tonight. Let him know you have a life and that you're not asking if you can go, you're telling him you can go."

No considered it a moment longer. "It would be nice to actually talk about girly things for once."

Kiba walked over to where his phone was hanging up on the wall. "Go on, Ino. Call up Sakura, make some plans, then drop your hubby a line and tell him what's up."

Ino bit her lip and came over to stand beside Kiba. She looked between him and the phone, her fingers reaching up to her mouth so she could nibble her nails. Kiba could see the conflicting emotions and he knew he needed to sell to her the importance of this task. She desperately needed to find herself again. Today, outside, he had seen a glimpse of the old Ino and the difference had been striking. Now, she was faltering, and he needed to help her back up.

"Come on, Yamanaka, girls need their girl friends. Shikamaru has his friends, you need yours. They keep you sane, they can be your rock, and they're great for advice and fun and laughter-"

"I thought you were my friend."

The words had caught him completely off guard and his eyes widened. She actually considered him a friend? He tried to stabilize his heart rate and relax, but the excitement was too much. After how horribly he had treated her so many years ago, he had been worried Ino would never speak to him again, and yet here she was asking for his advice and going so far as to call him her friend. It was such a pleasant surprise and he was glad she had said it. He smiled down at her warmly, but his voice was teasing. "I thought you just wanted my advice?"

Ino looked down at her feet. "I was only teasing."

Kiba chuckled. "I know. And you're my friend, Ino. But let's be honest here, how awkward was it telling me about your sex life?"

Ino's face flushed and she glared at him. "Okay, okay, I get it. I need more friends."

With that confession, Kiba lifted the phone from its hook and held it out to her, wiggling his eye brows suggestively. Ino ripped the phone from his hand, dialed Sakura's number, and turned so that her back was to him, leaning herself against the wall. Kiba grinned down at her, listening intently as the phone rang on the other end.

"Hey, Sakura. How are you?...Yeah, same….Listen, I was wondering if you'd want to hang out tonight. You know, just us girls…..Really?" Kiba's grinned widened even more at the excitement that made her voice tremble. "Yeah, eight o'clock sounds great! I'll see you then."

Ino twirled around and hung up the phone. Kiba could see that she was beaming from ear to ear. "She said yes!"

"I guessed as much," he hid the joy he felt for her.

"We're going to some fancy club.

"Which one?" Kiba asked. He knew every club in Konoha. Some were so exclusive, that bouncers wouldn't allow you in unless you looked like you just got spit up by the red carpet. He knew Ino would have no problem getting in as long as she had an over-the-top, sexy outfit in mind.

"I think it was…Club Hoshi?"

Kiba's eyes bulged. Club Hoshi was without a doubt the most prestigious of every other club in the village. He hadn't even considered it when going over the list of clubs in his mind only because it was nearly impossible to get into unless you were VIP or knew someone as equally important as a VIP. How did they plan on getting in?

"Are you sure she said Hoshi?" Kiba sputtered.

"I'm pretty positive," Ino confirmed.

Kiba stared at her for a moment. He thought she was gorgeous-a beauty to behold. But he knew that at Club Hoshi, beauty wasn't the only thing you needed, otherwise Kiba would've gotten in a long time ago. "Do you have any dresses?"

"Only the one I wore at Choji's party. Shikamaru and I don't go out much."

Kiba thought back to that party and Ino's dress. It had been sleek and black, hugging the curves of her body tight enough to drive him wild. Still, it wasn't Hoshi material. "Let's go shopping."

Ino cocked her head to the side. "What? Why?"

"Hoshi is extremely exclusive. You need to look like a star. Let me take you dress shopping, I'm buying."

Ino gave him a suspicious look. "I thought guys hated shopping, let alone spending money on women."

_I'd buy you the moon and the stars. _"Well fine. If you don't want a free dress, have fun being rejected from Club Hoshi for looking subpar-"

Kiba let out a shaky "whoa" as Ino snatched his wrist up with her hand and dragged him out the door. He beamed with satisfaction. He knew that the young vixen wouldn't be able to pass up the chance to spend his money on her, and he didn't mind buying things for her, if only to see her smile again like she had been earlier that afternoon.

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took so long to update. Work and school and my lack of a laptop are all factors as to why this took longer than it should have. Don't hate me please! Sorry this chapter was kinda lame and boring. Kiba's head over heels, huh? Next chapter should be better though. I've got a lot of cute stuff planned for our star-crossed lovers ;) **

**R&R, as always, I love to hear your thoughts, opinions, ideas, etc. Love it all :) Love you all! Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11: Dress Shopping

**"Let's go in there!"** Ino jabbed a delicate finger in the direction of a large dress shop that had about twenty different dresses on display in the windows.

Kiba paused to take in all of the colors of the dresses and the various designs. His expression remained that of unfathomable boredom and he arched his back, lifting one arm over his head to stretch. "Nope. Not happenin'."

Ino withdrew her finger in defeat. This was the fifth shop Kiba had shot down and Ino was starting to think he had been lying to her all along about dress shopping just to get her hopes and was going to reveal that this had been some sort of elaborate prank all along. "Well I'm done throwing ideas out there if you're just gonna' keep shitting on all of them."

"It's not like _I_ have a problem with these stores," Kiba pointed out, "Club Hoshi will."

Ino rolled her eyes. "All you've said since I've told you I'm going to be going to Club Hoshi is 'Hoshi this' and 'Hoshi that'. You do realize that since Sakura is studying under the Hokage, we will be allowed in without any problems whatsoever?"

Kiba didn't look the least bit convinced. "I'm well aware of this. But I still want to help you find the perfect dress. Just because they _have_ to let you in doesn't mean they'll give you great service if you go in looking like that."

Ino flipped her hair and folded her arms over her chest defiantly when he nodded towards her oversized t-shirt and short shorts. She stuck out her bottom lip and pouted. "Well then, where do you propose we go Kiba Sensei?"

She saw a wolfy grin spread across his face when she called him that and his sharp canines glinted in the sun. He motioned with his head in another direction. "Follow me."

Ino grumbled and dragged her feet after him. He led her down numerous twists and turns through Konoha's alleyways until an alley finally spit them out into a part of town Ino hadn't visited in ages, mostly because if you weren't rich enough, no one would give you the time of day. It was a much more posh area of the village and those who strolled leisurely passed them looked at Kiba and Ino with obvious contempt, as the couple were dressed in more casual clothes as opposed to the silk robes most of the others were wearing. Ino's eyes widened and she gave the back of Kiba's head a worried look. Could either of them afford anything around here?

"Give me your hand," Kiba ordered.

"Excuse me?" Ino dug into her ear, hoping to clear it out in case she had heard him wrong.

"Give me your hand," he repeated. He looked straight ahead, but outstretched his arm behind him so that Ino could latch onto it. "This is a big crowd for this time of day. I don't want us to lose each other."

Ino recoiled from his waiting palm. She couldn't hold his hand, she was married! People would see them holding hands and easily get the wrong impression. Hanging around Kiba was supposed to be saving her marriage, not hindering it. Still, glancing around, she saw that there was indeed a stampede of people.

"Ugh. Fine."

Ino slipped her hand into his and she quietly sucked in a breath at the warmth she felt as his hand enveloped her own. His fingers tangled themselves between hers and he held fast to her. "Ready? Go!"

The two of them sprinted across the street, weaving in and out of the bodies that surrounded them. Looking up, Ino saw that Kiba was leading her towards a very small shop-smaller than any of the ones they had checked out earlier. She studied it carefully and silently decided that this journey to the ritzy side of town had been completely pointless. This building looked like it could have been someone's house. What could it possibly have that the other stores didn't?

As they reached their destination, Ino quickly dropped Kiba's hand and felt her face begin to burn. She hadn't realized how much her palm had started sweating. She prayed Kiba wouldn't notice how wet her palm had gotten, but he seemed more interested in holding the door open for her. She mumbled a quick 'thank you' before ducking into the tiny store.

The door closed behind her and Ino did a quick once-over of the vicinity. It was a quaint little shop that had sewing mannequins scattered throughout the cramped lobby. Besides a door, a counter with a register, and a mirror on the wall, the room was pretty vacant. Kiba brushed lightly passed her and over to the counter where he slapped his hand down on the service bell that sat by the cash register.

"One moment, please!" a disembodied voice called from somewhere behind the door that ino assumed led to a back room.

Kiba leaned against the counter and beckoned Ino to come stand by his side. They stood at the counter patiently, listening to the rustling that echoed behind the door. Just as Ino was starting to grow antsy, the door creaked open and a tall, slim young man materialized before them. His light brown hair was spiked into a neat quiff in the front and he wore a plaid, red, button-up shirt tucked into his khakis, the outfit tied together by the matching red bow tie that rested on his neck.

The man looked towards them and gasped.

"Oh, Kiba! _Another _lady? Where'd you find this one, Wal*Mart?" The man tsked in a voice that dripped with sass and sarcasm as he looked Ino up and down, taking in her rather trashy apparel. At the sound of his voice and the way he was pursing his lips, it took all of three seconds for Ino's gay-dar to go off.

_Wal*Mart? Why, you-_ Ino opened her mouth to speak but Kiba beat her to the punch.

"Daisuke, this is Ino Yamanaka. She's an old friend of mine and I figured I'd take her here in search of the 'perfect dress'."

Ino instantly recognized the irony of the situation. Here they were, asking for help from a man whose name literally meant "great help".

"What's the occasion?"

"Club Hoshi," Kiba answered solemnly. Ino inwardly rolled her eyes. He acted like this was a matter of life and death.

Daisuke, on the other hand, gasped and his hands flew up over his chest as though he'd just had a mini heart attack. Was this place really so intense? Daisuke focused his wide eyes at Ino before rushing to her side and taking her by the hand. ""Oh, honey, I will take care of you! Don't even worry!"

Kiba seemed pleased at the reaction and turned to explain to Ino. "Daisuke tailors all of my good suits. He's a freelance designer and he desperately needs to get his name out there. If you wore one of his creations to Hoshi-"

"I will worship you!" Daisuke interjected, practically falling to his knees.

Ino blushed furiously and glanced between the two men. How could she deny such a plea? Still, before she made a decision, she wanted to see some of Daisuke's dresses before deciding whether or not she liked his style. Not to mention she didn't know if she even wanted to do him any favors. One second, she's one of Kiba's random, poorly-dressed hook ups and, now, she's the only thing separating Daisuke from designing dresses fit to walk the red carpet. However, this didn't change the fact that she still wanted to look her best tonight, not to mention she had an underlying weakness for shopping that she hadn't gotten to indulge in in months. As much as she wanted to be angry, she couldn't help but feel giddy as Daisuke led her towards the back room.

"Welcome to Heaven," Daisuke gestured to the sight before them. "Take your pick, my lady."

Ino's eyes practically fell from their sockets. Although from outside, the shop had seemed small, the back room was the size of a large apartment and was stuffed from floor to ceiling with various styles of dresses, all color-coded and categorized by size. She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

She sat there, staring dumbly, not even sure of where to start.

_Purple._

The color instantly leapt into her mind and she grinned at the obvious suggestion. Her dress had to be purple.

Without missing a beat, Ino skipped over to the section of purple dresses and began digging through the fabric.

"Figures," she heard Kiba mutter under his breath. She ignored him and carried on with her shopping.

**A/N: sorry this chapter sucks ass. I know it sucks ass. I've been sick and resting-not to mention I just haven't been able to get to a laptop. I've also recently picked up on a new fanfic on Wattpad regarding Guns N Roses. They're an awesome band and I had the urge to write something for them. I will still work on this fanfic and try to update as often as possible. I just couldn't write much more for this chapter. I'm sorry. next one will be better. it will be a continuation of Ino's chapter and then move onto Kiba's POV. Should be good. Please bear with me, dudes. In the mean time, read and review, tell me about other awesome fanfics. Tell me about your weekend. Tell me about anything. I'd love to hear from you guys :)**


	12. Chapter 12: GNO

**Ino strolled down the street, her hips swaying with each step and her hair trailing behind her like a proud, yellow banner.** She had released her mane from the confines of its ponytail and had curled it so that it fell in loose waves around her. As she walked, she heard men calling out to her and whistling at her, but she ignored them. Glancing to her left, she saw the sour look on Kiba's face.

"What's wrong? Your face looks uglier than usual," she teased.

Kiba clenched his jaw. "These guys are pricks. They're acting like you're a piece of meat or something."

Ino raised a perfectly plucked eye brow at him. "I highly doubt you're any different."

He shook his head and continued walking beside her. She felt his body heat radiating against her arm as he drew himself in closer to her. His cologne filled her nostrils and she turned her head slightly, trying to expel the pleasant scent from her nose.

As the two turned a corner, the sound of pulsing music and laughter filled the air and beams of light ripped through the cloak of stars above them. Ino gawked at the building. A line extended from the entrance all the way down the block and seemed to disappear into the horizon.

"Here we are," Kiba seemed pleased with Ino's reaction. "Told you it's a pretty big deal."

Ino felt her heart flutter with anticipation and she held her hands over her chest absentmindedly. She looked down at her dress, a strapless, purple dress that stopped at about mid-thigh. On the right side of her dress rested some ruffled fabric with a burst of jewels arranged in a jaw dropping floral pattern. From these jewels, fell more ruffles that descended into sheer, flowing curtains that fell well passed the skirt. It was a dress made for a goddess, Ino was sure. Still, she didn't know if she was good enough for this attire. Sure, guys had been whistling at her the whole way here, but their opinions didn't matter.

Kiba seemed to sense her hesitating and he looked down at her. "Something wrong, princess?"

Ino was too nervous to even narrow her eyes at him. She didn't want to fight. Right now, she needed support. She needed a true friend who would tell her if she looked good or not, not because it was what she wanted to hear, but because it was true. "I'm just nervous."

He furrowed his eye brows and cocked his head as though he didn't believe that girls like Ino ever felt self-conscious. Ino decided he looked kind of cute like that. Like a little puppy. "What for?"

"Well, Kami, you've been talking this place up since I mentioned it and now I'm nervous. What if I'm not cool enough?" She swallowed and shuffled her high heels, kicking up dirt. "What if I'm not pretty enough?"

There was no response from Kiba. She frowned. He was probably trying to think of some rude come back. She could practically hear the wheels turning in his head, conjuring up some nasty remark.

Suddenly, his hand came into her line of vision and she sucked in a breath as he softly lifted her chin with a finger until she was looking at him. He then used the same finger to brush her bangs from her eye and pull some of her hair over her bare shoulder. She gulped, her eyes widening.

"You're not cool, you're awesome. And you're not pretty, you're gorgeous," his words caught her completely off guard and he gave her his usual cocky smirk. Hearing those words and seeing that grin, she suddenly felt as though his finger had transferred fragments of his own confidence into her. "If Club Hoshi can't see that, then fuck them."

Ino smiled softly. She felt a surge of confidence flowing through her that she hadn't felt in so long. Lately, she'd only seemed to be feeling it around her new friend, Kiba. Maybe that was why she kept hanging out with him; he always seemed to talk her up, while everything about her life seemed to knock her down. Under his watchful eyes, Ino felt sexy and wanted. Her curves seemed to press against the dress, begging to be freed. Her hair seemed to be reaching for Kiba's fingers, crying for attention. She almost wanted to throw him against the wall of the nearest building and kiss him. She told herself it didn't mean anything, it was just her sudden rush of carnal instincts and self-confidence. Instead, she fell forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thanks, mutt," she mumbled into his chest with a grin. She felt his arms curl around her waist and pull her in closer and his breath tickled her scalp as he buried his face in her hair.

"Anytime, blondie," he chuckled. The hug seemed to last a little longer than what would have been appropriate, but for whatever reason, Ino didn't care and didn't make an attempt to pull away. Besides, he was keeping her warm in the cool air of the night. After a few more moments, Kiba pulled her away from him and gave her a stern look. "Now listen, I want you to spend the night at Sakura's tonight. That, or, she goes home with you."

Ino giggled. "What? Why?"

"You see those guys drooling all over you while we were walking here? I don't want you walking home drunk and alone with people like that around."

Ino rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. "I may not be a kunoichi now but I still know how to defend myself."

"Doesn't matter," Kiba shook his head. "I don't want to risk it."

Ino glared at him. "Seriously, I can take care of myself."

"Seriously, I want you to stay with Sakura."

Ino could tell by the way he clenched his fists that he wasn't kidding around, but neither was she. It was like a slap in the face, the fact that he didn't trust her to be able to fight back against creepy men outside of a club. She had fought much stronger enemies. She was an ex kunoichi, after all.

"Whatever," she dismissed it with a wave of her hand. Kiba reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her so that they were chest to chest. They locked eyes and glared at one another.

"Promise me you'll be careful, Ino," he ordered. "Shikamaru would kill me if you got hurt under my watch."

So that was it. He didn't even care about her, he only cared about how he would have to deal with the consequences if she got hurt. She almost hoped she'd get raped now. "Fine, whatever. Just let me go, Sakura is probably waiting for me."

Kiba dropped his hand and, with one final nod, disappeared in a puff of smoke. Ino glared at the spot where he had stood before turning on her heel and strutting towards the entrance to Club Hoshi.

**Sakura had no problem cutting to the front of the line and getting herself and Ino into the club.** At the mere mention of Tsunade, the bouncer seemed more than happy to let them in. He even asked Sakura to let Tsunade know he missed her and that she should stop by his place more often, which sent both girls into a fit of giggles as soon as he was out of ear shot.

As soon as Ino stepped foot into the club, her eyes widened and she had to admit it was quite impressive. The ceiling was decorated completely with dangling diamonds and fluorescent blue lights that lit the room with a pleasant glow. It felt like a mixture of light from a fish bowl and the deepest part of the galaxy. Along the walls, small lights dotted the dark blue paint. The lights and the throbbing music was enough to make one feel as though they were floating through a dream in space. Ino felt a strange tingling in her fingers. She beamed, feeling completely elated.

"This is beautiful, Sakura," she breathed. "Thank you for inviting me."

"No problem," Sakura smiled. "Come on, let's get some drinks."

The young women weaved their way through a crowd of dancing party goers, all of whom seemed to be dressed in the height of fashion. Ino marveled at their elegance and grace, despite their vulgar dancing.

When they reached the bar, Sakura ordered them a couple of cosmos. As soon as they were up, she snagged the drinks and guided Ino towards a table. Ino sat down on the chair and felt herself begin to sink into the cushy seat. It felt like heaven under her tush.

"So, how's life?" Ino asked, reaching for her drink and taking a sip.

"It's alright I guess," Sakura shrugged, downing her drink in one gulp before beckoning a waitress to the table. Ino was shocked at Sakura's ability to down a drink so quickly and stared at the empty glass, slightly horrified.

"Why just 'alright'?" Ino asked, tearing her eyes from the glass and back towards her friend.

Sakura now had three empty glasses in front of her. "Just haven't been feeling too great about myself lately."

"Any particular reason for that?"

Sakura gazed absentmindedly at a couple dancing against each other about ten feet away. She had moved on to drinking scotch now. "Hinata."

Ino furrowed her eye brows. Hinata was a silent sweetheart. Sure, she had bigger boobs than Sakura-basically every other kunoichi had bigger boobs than her-but, other than that, there was no real reason Sakura should be feeling threatened by Hinata. They were both beautiful girls. "What'd she do?"

Sakura gulped down the scotch, wincing at the burning sensation. "Naruto chose her."

Now Ino understood. She remembered back to Choji's party, when Sakura had finally caved and let Naruto take her out on a sort-of date. She hadn't spoken to the rosette since then, so she never got to hear how the date went. She felt a pang of guilt in her stomach. Here she was, totally oblivious and horsing around with Kiba when her friend had been hurting. Some best friend she was. But now, she could see that Kiba was right. She needed to make more time for her friends and stop worrying so much over a man who is barely home-even if that man was her husband.

"Now why the hell would he do that?" Ino demanded.

Sakura shrugged, staring into her empty glass, her eye lids drooping. " 'Said he was done waiting around for something that _might_ happen. He said Hinata genuinely cares about him and I'm just looking for something to fill the void Sasuke left."

_Ouch_. Ino sighed and began toying with her mostly untouched drink. "That's a bit harsh."

Sakura slapped her hand down onto the table and Ino jumped at the sound the collision made. "But that's a lie. I mean, it was true a year ago but...something about Naruto...Ino, I don't understand what he does to me. He pisses me off. He annoys me. I hate him, and still..."

She trailed off and Ino stared intently at her, letting her take the time to collect her thoughts before continuing.

"I couldn't tell him that. I couldn't say it. I couldn't confess, and so, he left."

Ino frowned and stared at her friend as she ordered another round of drinks and drank each one, more slowly this time. Finally, Ino opened her mouth to speak.

"Why can't you say it?"

Sakura sniffed, staring over Ino's shoulder. "I guess, after Sasuke...I'm not ready for that again."

"But Naruto wouldn't hurt you like that. Surely you've known Naruto long enough to realize that."

Sakura shook her head. "If he doesn't go rogue, he'll die in battle or marry me and grow mean and bitter. We already argue enough as it is. I don't want us to resent each other. Love sucks."

At Sakura's words, Ino tensed up. Friendship wilting into resentment? That was something she was far too familiar with. She kind of agreed with Sakura. She had known Shikamaru practically since birth, and yet, here they were, avoiding each other like one of them had the plague. Ino gulped down her cosmo and snagged one of Sakura's vodka cups. She chugged the drink and grabbed another.

Sakura gave her a suspicious look. "What's up with you?"

Ino shook her head and smiled, trying to deceive the green eyes that were now narrowed at her. "Nothing at all. I just figured I shouldn't let my best friend drink alone. Drinking alone is never fun."

Sakura beamed. "Thanks, Ino. Let's party."

Ino and Sakura hit their glasses together, making a clinking sound and rattling the ice in their drinks.

"Cheers!"

**Kiba**

**Kiba's eyes tore open at the sound of the raucous laughter below him.** He blinked, trying to pull himself from his daze before growling and sitting up. He peered over the edge of the roof where he had fallen asleep. It was directly across the street from Club Hoshi and Kiba could perfectly see all who came and went from the entrance.

Below him was a group of about four drunken shinobi, all were older than he was by about ten years and they stumbled around like idiots, roaring with laughter.

"Morons," Kiba muttered. He checked the entrance to the club once more to see if Ino was walking out. He sniffed the air, smelling nothing but alcohol and testosterone. He'd know Ino's scent anywhere, so he knew she had not left. He sighed and lay back down.

He drifted somewhere between sleep and consciousness. Every time he'd start to drift deeper into sleep, something would come over him that would make his eyes flutter open.

_Why are you still here Kiba? _He asked himself, clenching his hands into fists. _Ino was a kunoichi. She can take care of herself. Don't you trust her? She did make a promise to you._

But he had to be sure. It wasn't just that Shikamaru would be upset if anything happened to Ino, Kiba would be upset too. When he thought about it, he knew deep in his heart of hearts that if anything were to happen to the blond beauty, he'd have no way of forgiving himself. And, seeing her in that dress that showed off every inch of her body, he knew that the chances of bad things happening to her tonight had increased tenfold.

A sudden breeze blew over his resting body, the Invisible fingers teasing his hair. The sensations sent chills down his spine. Something was wrong.

He leapt to his feet and instantly went into beast mode. His ears perked, taking in sounds from two blocks away. Chakra flowed straight to his nose and the smell of vodka singed his nostrils. Somewhere below, he could hear whimpering.

Kiba rushed back to the edge of the roof and leapt off, landing on the ground below with a soft thud. He crouched on all fours and narrowed his eyes at the scene before him. A rush of fury swept through his body.

There were the four shinobi from earlier, one was crouching on the ground in front of a woman. The woman's long blond hair was covering her face, but Kiba could have spotted this woman in a crowd. It was Ino. She was obviously completely wasted, as she made no attempt to stop the man as he pulled her lacy underwear down to her ankles. Two other men held her arms firmly against the wall behind her, and the fourth man had a kunai clenched in his hand, and he was looking directly at Kiba.

"Look, buddy, if you want a turn, you're gonna' have to take a number and get in line," the man cackled.

Kiba snarled at him, his sharp canines gleaming in the blue, pulsing lights that managed to trickle into the alleyway from Club Hoshi. "Let her go. This is your only and final warning."

The guy chuckled and gave him a curious look. "What? This your girlfriend or something?"

"Quit fucking around, Arashi. My boner isn't gonna' wait forever while you toy with this guy," the shinobi that had tugged off Ino's thong yelled at the man with the kunai.

Arashi smirked. "Fine, fine."

Kiba glared at them. He knew that he couldn't do much against four older ninja, and he knew it'd be even harder to destroy them without Akamaru there to help him. Still, he hoped that his anger would be enough to give him the strength to fight back. Even if he couldn't stop them from raping Ino, he knew he'd go down swinging.

With a guttural roar, Kiba tensed his muscles and leapt at the man.

The fight was mostly a blur. Kiba was seeing in tunnel vision and could hear his pulse pounding in his ears. Every punch they threw seemed to do nothing to him. He had gone completely feral. Within moments he had two down for the count and two more to go. Ino was finally freed, and she had sunken to the ground muttering to herself, her eyes closed.

Kiba knew he was fucked, so as soon as he saw an opening, he took it. Kiba grabbed Ino, tossing her onto his back and began charging down the street. He heard the men calling after them and sprinted faster until not even the wind was carrying their voices to him.

**A/N: thank you guys for your patience :) ****love the reviews. Love you guys. Love everything :)**** I hope you guys like the description of Ino's dress. If you can view my profile picture, I guess you can look at the dress it's based off of in there. Speaking of dresses, I found my prom dress. It's a blue mermaid style gown :)**** totally beautiful. R&R. Please enjoy :)**** Love you guys and thanks for all the reading :)****  
**


	13. Chapter 13: Whatever

**Kiba ran, not allowing his legs to stop until his apartment came into sight.** When he finally began to slow down, his feet screamed with pain and Ino seemed heavier than usual. He bit down on the inside of his cheek, forcing the pain to distract him from anything else.

Laying on the path to his front door was Akamaru, who lifted his head when he saw Kiba carrying Ino. Kiba knew Akamaru must have been worrying about his master and had waited up for him. The dog whimpered and rushed over, sniffing at Ino's unconscious body.

"She's had a rough night," Kiba said. Akamaru licked her foot, as it was the only part of her he could reach since Kiba held her bridal style.

Akamaru then padded over to the door, holding it open for his master. "Thanks, buddy."

Kiba carried Ino inside and brought her to his bedroom. He lay her on his bed carefully before peeling off her heels and looking away from her as he pulled her thong back up. When she was all tucked in, Kiba pulled away and ran his fingers through his hair.

_Shit_. His mind was racing with all of the things that were so completely wrong with this situation. As much as he loved having Ino in his bed, he didn't want to get her in trouble with Shikamaru-in case the guy really cared that much. Not to mention, she might be mad at him again like last time. Then again, if she tried to pull that shit on him, he could just say that he saved her vagina from a seriously unwanted pounding from four strange men.

A small cry came from the bed and Kiba looked down to see Ino's eye brows furrowed and a frown on her face. She mumbled something and Kiba leaned in closer to her. Seeing her face all scrunched up like that made all of Kiba's worries about himself transfer to worries of her. "What was that, princess?"

"They tried to hurt me," Ino whimpered.

"Shit..." Kiba hissed. He had seriously hoped she hadn't remembered all of that. He licked his lips and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Don't worry, I got you. You're safe here with me."

Ino's eyes fluttered open and aimed themselves at Kiba. They looked almost translucent in the moonlight that cascaded through the window.

Although Kiba felt a sense of relief that Ino was safe with him, he was still extremely pissed that she had broken her promise. "Where was Sakura? Why didn't you go home with her like you said you would?"

Ino grumbled and rolled over. Kiba grabbed her shoulder and forced her to turn back towards him.

"Hey!" She whined.

"Answer me, dammit. If you had just listened to me, this wouldn't have happened," Kiba growled.

"Calm down. You're not my fucking dad," Ino shot back.

"You're right. If I was, I wouldn't have even let you go to the club."

She rolled her eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes. "Whatever."

Kiba released his grip on her shoulder and stormed towards the door. "'Whatever'? Fine, sure. Whatever. You know, you always come around here begging for my help. 'My husband doesn't love me, I'm bored, I'm lonely, my pussy is collecting dust'-and then when I help you out, you do this. You don't listen, you get pissy, and you act like you hate me. So fine, Ino. Whatever."

He slammed the door shut behind him, resting against it for a moment to catch his breath. A soft whimper made him look down. Akamaru sat a few feet away, giving him a look that told him he had made a big mistake.

"I know, I'm a dick. What else is new?" Kiba snapped. Akamaru snorted and turned away, his tail held high as he trotted into the kitchen and disappeared. Kiba rolled his eyes and walked towards the hallway closet.

He pulled out a raggedy old pillow and a couple of quilts his grandmother had made for him years ago. They were old and had some holes, but they were still useful.

As he made his way through the dark hallway and back into the living room, he thought about all he had said to Ino. Even though he had spoken the truth, he knew he shouldn't have said it and he wished he could take it all back. Why did she have to be so infuriating?

He entered the living room and stopped. His feet felt glued to the floor. His eyes widened at what sat before him. On the couch was Ino, her slender legs spilling out of the bottom of one of his baggy t-shirts. She looked up as he entered.

"Kiba," her voice was soft. It shook like a leaf in the wind. "Kiba, you were right. I-"

Kiba shook his head. The floor below him creaked as he crept towards her. "I was wrong to yell at you like that."

He kneeled before her, dropping the pillow and quilts onto the couch before burying his face into her stomach, wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her into him. She gasped in shock, but relaxed when she realized he was simply embracing her. As time passed, she softly began combing her fingers through his hair, spiking it up even more.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into the heat of her stomach.

"I'm sorry, too."

Kiba stood up and nodded at her, she obliged and scooted over. He then, rather clumsily, squeezed himself onto the couch beside her and turned onto his side so that they were face to face.

"Ino," he breathed.

"Yes?"

He had never been this close to her before. Stray strands of her hair tickled his arms, her breath caressed his face, and he could feel almost every nook and cranny of her body pressed up against his. He prayed he wouldn't get aroused any time soon and disrupt this moment they were sharing.

"I was so scared I wouldn't be able to save you," he whispered. Her eyes shone as though she were about to cry. Kiba shook his head. "Along with the marriage advice, I'm gonna' start helping you train."

Ino's mouth fell open. "Train? Kiba, I'm not a kunoichi anymore."

"I realize that," he said. "But I want you to be able to defend yourself. As much as I'd like to, I can't always be there to help you. Train with me."

Ino opened her mouth to argue, but he shook his head. His hand traveled across the pillow and grabbed hold of hers. He gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Train with me."

Ino glanced at their hands together before nodding slowly.

"Good."

Kiba lay his head down and closed his eyes. He felt Ino moving around beside him. He opened his eyes once more when he felt her head nuzzling against his chest. He heard her let out a contented sigh before her breathing lowered as she fell asleep. Without another word, Kiba crooked his arm to hold her head against him. He buried his face deep into her curtain of hair, letting the scent of flowers lull him to sleep.

**A/N: awwwww :) how cute are they? R&R, pretty please? ;)**


	14. Chapter 14: Doggy Paddle

**Ino's eyes popped open and a small voice in the back of her mind told her that she was not where she was supposed to be.** This was mostly due to the fact that she was pressed up against someone-a man, to be exact-and she knew for a fact that Shikamaru wouldn't hold her like this. Not in a million years. Not to mention, this was not even his cologne. Nor did the person lying next to her stink of cigarettes.

She pulled her head away from the man's chest and peeked at his face. Kiba. The man was Kiba. She considered slapping him awake seeing as this was the second time that she had woken up at his house. However, as she raised her hand to slap him a good one, memories of last night flooded her brain. Being thrown up against a wall, being stripped, Kiba going ape shit on them, Kiba yelling at her...

She slowly lowered her hand and grinned at him. He may have been a tough guy last night, but he didn't look like he could harm a fly the way he was right now. He looked so peaceful as he slept, so angelic. It was a strange contrast from his usual boisterous self. Besides, she had needed that lecture from him. Although it may have been harsh, he had been right. All he had done was help her. Ever since they met at the market, all he's wanted to do was help her, yet she still treated him like the boy she had slapped and deserted on a walk so many years ago.

_Why did I toy with him?_ She thought. She lifted herself so that she was sitting up on one elbow. She gazed down at Kiba for moment, then began combing through his hair with her fingers. Kiba sighed in his sleep and nuzzled into her chest. She blushed furiously and tried to ignore how it felt to have a man this close to her again. Still, it was hard to suppress; it sent tingles throughout her limbs.

She continued to comb through his hair, letting herself zone out as she did. He was sweet, thoughtful, kind, he had the whole "bad boy" vibe going on, and he was loyal as hell. He literally was like her own personal puppy dog. She scratched behind his ear and felt his leg begin to kick lightly. Seeing this, she fought back the laughter that was building up in her throat.

_Why didn't I give him a second glance? Was I really that stupid? _

She hadn't woken up next to Shikamaru too often, but when she had, he was usually about two feet away from her and snoring lightly. Yet, here she was with Kiba, sandwiched together on this tiny couch. Despite the lack of space, Ino decided she wouldn't mind waking up to this every morning. He felt so warm against her, and she felt so loved with his head on her chest.

_I wish that, maybe, I could've..._

She quickly pulled away from him and slid as carefully as possible off of the couch and landed onto the hardwood floor. She looked at the clock that hung from the wall and saw that it was about 10 o'clock. She knew Shikamaru had another mission today that involved Temari, so she figured he wouldn't be around for the rest of the day and well into the night. For whatever reason, this fact didn't exactly bother her. A strange feeling of contentment rushed over her that hadn't been a normal reaction to this situation in the past. She peered over her shoulder at Kiba's sleeping figure.

_I can spend the day with the mutt._

The thought made her stomach clench in anticipation. However, Kiba was still pretty knocked out so she decided to leave him be, considering he had stayed up almost all night to make sure she would get home safe.

A sudden yawn peeled her lips apart and she stretched her arms towards the ceiling until the t-shirt she wore slid just above her thong. A soft whine made her abruptly pause. Had Kiba woken up? She blushed furiously before looking in the direction of the whine and seeing Akamaru seated patiently by the door. He wagged his tail as their eyes met and Ino grinned.

"Hey, Akamaru," she yawned again, finally dropping her arms back down to her sides. The dog yipped in response and his tail thumped loudly against the floor. Ino winced at how loud the noises sounded in the silence of the house.

"Shhhhh!" She pleaded, not wanting Kiba to wake up. Akamaru seemed to understand perfectly and instantly stopped what he was doing. Ino raised an eye brow at him. _Is this dog part human or something? _

She watched as he turned towards the door, scratching at the wood, demanding for her to open it.

"Hold on," she said. She rushed to Kiba's bedroom and towards his dresser. She pulled out a pair of boxers and tugged them on. She then hurried back to the front door and tore it open.

"Let's go potty."

Akamaru looked unimpressed with her tone of voice. She sounded like she had been talking to a baby. She noticed the "are you kidding me" look he was giving her and shrugged a shoulder.

"Sorry."

She followed the dog outside, marveling at how bright the sun was for this time of day. The gentle breeze pulled at her oversized clothes, tugging her towards the nearby woods. She complied with the silent hands that pulled at her, and began her trek into the forest with Akamaru following close behind.

**"Look out, Akamaru!"** Ino squealed in delight as she leapt from a tree limb into the river below. Akamaru barked with glee as Ino swam back to the surface, flipping her hair in an arch so it fell down her back, flicking water everywhere.

During their walk, they had come across a wide river. Almost right away, Akamaru had jumped in and began to swim around. Ino had hesitated, but reluctantly peeled off everything but her underwear when the temperature had risen and jumped in with the dog. Since then, the two had been jumping into the river, doing flips and cannon balls off of various nearby trees.

Ino drifted onto her back and let herself relax and float, allowing the river's current to slowly carry her. Akamaru let himself float beside her, his face just barely sticking out of the water, his nose making light snorting noises.

Ino felt so free in the cradling waves of the river, just letting it flow and carry her wherever it went. She didn't have to worry about where it ended or where it was taking her. She just let it happen.

"Ino!"

Ino jumped at the sound of her name piercing through the silence. She looked up and saw Kiba standing on a tree branch above her. He was gasping for breath and looking extremely flustered.

"What's up?" She called up to him casually.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded breathlessly.

She looked at Akamaru who had also steadied himself in the water to look up at Kiba. "Swimming."

Kiba rolled his eyes and tore his fingers through his hair. "Shit, Ino. I thought you were...I thought they...shit, I don't know. You scared me!"

Ino gave him a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

Kiba sat down on the branch and stared at her. "So...swimming? How come?"

Ino shrugged. "Akamaru jumped in and eventually it got hot and the water looked really inviting."

Kiba grinned. He looked between her and Akamaru. Akamaru seemed to be giving his master a knowing smile and Ino felt some amazement at the bond between the two.

"It does look inviting," Kiba had his cocky grin on, his eyes staring right at Ino. Ino was suddenly painfully aware of how naked she was and she folded her arms over her chest. "Mind if I join?"

Ino looked down at her half naked body and blushed. Even though it covered about as much as her bikini would have, she still felt as naked as the day she was born. Kiba always seemed to be stripping her with his eyes, right down to her core, and being in her underwear would only make that easier for him. Still, they were just swimming and he probably wasn't even thinking of her like that. He was helping save her marriage, after all. It wasn't over stepping any boundaries.

"Go ahead."

Kiba smirked and instantly began pulling his shirt up and over his head. Ino tried to look everywhere except at him, but stole a few glances at his body. He was as tan as ever, with a few light scars scattered here and there across his chest. His muscles rippled as he tugged off his pants, and Ino peeled her eyes away as soon as Kiba lifted his head to look back in her direction.

"Cowabunga!" Kiba cried out, leaping from the tree and doing a cannon ball right beside Ino. Ino shrieked with amusement and covered her face to shield herself from the cascading water.

Ino readied herself, placing her hands on the surface of the water, and turning towards where she figured Kiba would resurface. She was ready to splash him in the face as soon as he came up.

Moments passed, and there was no movement coming from the water. Ino looked all around, yet there was no sign of her friend in the clear water of the river. Had the current carried him away? Akamaru whimpered and began doggy paddling in circles, searching with her. Ino felt her heart begin to race at the dog's reaction. She figured that if Akamaru was worried, she should be too.

"Kiba?" She called, frantically wading through the water, going further down the river. "Kiba!"

She swam from bank to bank, searching for any sign of Kiba, but to no avail. Just as she was starting to tear up, she felt something tickle her ankle. The tickle turned into a hand gripping her foot, then came a light tug and she was pulled under water. She twisted her body to face whoever had grabbed her and saw Kiba giving her a mischievous grin, air bubbles escaping through the sides of his mouth. She smiled back, but furrowed her eye brows, pretending to be angry with him and shoved him. He seemed to be laughing as he pushed himself off the river floor, heading back to the surface. Ino watched him go, his torso stretching slightly as he reached towards the sky.

She slowly followed him up, gulping in air as soon as she surfaced. "You jerk! I was worried!"

Kiba chuckled lightly. "That, my sweet princess, is revenge for scaring me this morning."

Ino glared at him, trying her best not to crack a smile.

"You should have seen that coming anyway," Kiba laughed. "I mean, seriously, what guy my age doesn't know how to swim? Especially a shinobi."

Ino rolled her eyes. "There's other shinobi out there that could've dragged you under."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He teased.

Ino giggled. "Only if I was the one taking you down."

Kiba sucked some water into his mouth before spewing it out at her. She held her hands up and screamed.

"Kiba!"

Kiba roared with laughter before turning away and beginning to swim against the current. Ino realized how strong he must be as he had almost no difficulty fighting the current. She began to swim after him, and it didn't take her long to realize that she was getting almost nowhere. Just as she was about to give up, she heard a loud bark next to her. She glanced over to see Akamaru giving her his little doggy grin. In a flash, he had dipped his body underwater and come back up below her so that she was now sitting on his back and riding him like he was a pony.

She giggled with delight and latched onto his fur. In her best imitation of Kiba, she cried out, "Let's go, Akamaru!"

**A/N: shit, you guys have awesome ideas and awesome questions. you could probably write this better than me haha **

**Look, I know you guys love Shika. There will be more Shikamaru later, I swear on my collection of band shirts. However, it will take some time. There will be some ShikaIno later, don't worry. All will be revealed in later chapters :)**

**As for Ino's job, I have a plan for that as well. But I'm keepin' that one on the DL until later _**

**And yes, ShikaIno1, Shikamaru did not use protection, but, I'd like to think he's smart enough to pull out, don't you? However, there is one shinobi who I think is not _that_ smart...*wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge***

**Thank you everyone, I love the reviews. Please keep 'em coming :)**


	15. Chapter 15: Escaping Temptation

**The sun was beating down on Kiba, drying the water droplets that were sprinkled along his skin.** He squinted his eyes against the sun's rays and turned his head to the left. There, lay Ino, clad in only her thong and bra, her head resting on Akamaru's back. Her golden hair was glowing with a life of its own under the sun and her pale skin became illuminated.

Kiba let his eyes trail up and down her body, greedily soaking up every inch of her. He had tried so many times to picture her like this in his mind. Through all of the one night stands, all of the strip clubs, all of the crazy parties, he'd chased after every bleached strand of hair with tits that he could find. But nothing was as perfect as the real thing. Nothing was as perfect as Ino.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

_Damn._

Kiba tore his eyes from her body and saw that she was looking directly at him, her eyes were now a sky blue in the sunlight.

"Don't flatter yourself, blondie," Kiba muttered.

Still, he felt like he was a little boy again and he had just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He tilted his head away from her and back towards the sun. The heat against his face wasn't exactly unpleasant, but the light was enough to annoy him. He wished he had sunglasses.

A light breeze dragged across his body, making him feel refreshed and comfortable in spite of the heat. Along with the breeze came the overwhelming scent of Ino, a smell Kiba was sure he'd never be bored of. It was a smorgasbord of various flowers and fruits that left his mouth watering and his heart aching with a feeling of want that was nearly unfathomable.

He sighed and pulled his arm over his eyes, squeezing his hand into a fist. Seeing her like this and being this close to her just reminded him further that if it wasn't for Shikamaru, he might have had a chance with her. He might have been able to be with her like this everyday.

He already knew Akamaru was growing fond of Ino. Back when he had first discovered Ino swimming in the river, he and Akamaru had locked eyes and had some sort of telepathic conversation. It was apparent that Akamaru was enjoying her presence in their home, not only as a friend, but as a means of making Kiba happy and keeping him out of trouble. This meant the world to Kiba since Akamaru's opinion meant more than even Tsume's.

_If Ino met Tsume and Hana and they liked her, what would I do then?_ Kiba thought solemnly. _If I love her, and everyone I know loves her, why should we be apart? _

It was unfair, it was torturous, and swimming with her and sleeping with her and being half naked with her...it was only getting worse.

Kiba pulled himself up in a rush, leaping up onto the tree branch where his clothes were still dangling, swaying in the afternoon wind. He pulled on his pants and tugged his shirt on over his head.

"Kiba?" Her voice slid into his ear like a thread of silk. Kiba felt goosebumps dance across his body.

"Hm?"

"What are you doing?"

He looked down at her. There was worry in her big, blue eyes and below that, Kiba died inside as he scanned her voluptuous body. He had to go, and he had to go now, otherwise, he might do something he knew would come to regret.

"I just remembered that I had made plans with Naruto today," Kiba winced slightly as the lie escaped from his lips.

"Naruto?" Ino gave him a puzzled look.

"Yeah. He said we needed to talk about some stuff."

It was such a lame excuse, and it came with such a piss poor story. Still, Ino seemed to buy it. At least, she didn't try to stop him from leaving.

He watched her stand up and Akamaru stood up beside her, using his furry form to cover most of her body from the ribs down.  
"Alright. When should I stop by to train?"

Kiba shrugged. "Whenever is fine. I'm running on your schedule. You have the ball and chain, not me."

Her eye brows furrowed a bit but she nodded, not saying another word.

"Come on, Akamaru," Kiba called. He watched Akamaru turn to lick Ino's hand softly before leaping up onto the tree branch next to him. Not allowing himself to sneak another look at Ino's body, he hopped onto Akamaru and let his canine companion carry him back to his house and as far away from temptation as possible.

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, dudes. I'll have more for Kiba later ;) R&R and all that jazz**


	16. Chapter 16: Looking Up

**She knew Kiba had been lying to her about hanging out with Naruto, but she figured it was for the best.** While they had been lying on the river bank, Ino could feel Kiba's eyes trailing up and down her body, and the worst part was that she was actually enjoying it. Shikamaru may have no problem going behind her back, but her conscious sure as hell wasn't even letting her bask in the joy of being noticed by an attractive male that wasn't her husband.

After Kiba had left, she dragged herself half heartedly back up the river to where she had abandoned Kiba's clothes in a heap in the grass. She took her time stepping into his boxers and pulling the over-sized shirt on over her head. As soon as she was dressed, she began her walk home.

"Hey, I'm home," Ino muttered, not expecting a reply and just about dying of a heart attack when she heard a quiet "hey".

She whirled around, clutching her chest in shock when she saw a familiar pineapple headed shinobi waiting for her on the couch.

"Shikamaru!" she gasped. "You scared the shit out of me!"

He didn't say anything, just stared at her with those black eyes burning like charcoal. She fidgeted where she stood, her back pressed against the door and her arms behind her back.

"How was your day?"

"Obviously not as good as yours," he said, nodding towards her body. She looked down and cringed. She had forgotten she was still wearing Kiba's clothes.

"It's not what you think," Ino began.

"Really?" He growled, finally easing himself off of the couch. He took a few steps towards her and Ino crinkled her nose at him. He stunk of alcohol. "Then what is it? Because I'm thinking a lot of things right now."

Ino nervously began toying with her hair, rapidly twirling it with her pointer finger.

"Who's clothes are you wearing, Ino?" He demanded. His voice was raised slightly and Ino shook under the weight of it. She began combing through her hair, avoiding his eyes.

"Where were you? I've been so worried. Do you know how it feels to sit around in an empty house, wondering where the hell your wife is?"

His words made something inside of Ino snap. Her eyes flew to lock with his and she glared at him. "_Excuse_ me?"

"I've been up all morning worrying about you," he said, clenching his jaw.

"Trust me, I know how that feels," she snapped. "I've got a year of experience."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shikamaru looked taken aback at her words. She had been the quiet housewife her mother had been wanting her to be for so long, he probably wasn't expecting to see this Ino again any time soon.

"I'm always waiting around for you. What are you doing during all those late nights out? Why are you always late for dinner?" She poked his chest with her well manicured finger. "How come you don't even bat an eye at me until I come home late in another man's clothes?"

He glared down at her.

"Maybe the better question is, what bothers you more, Shikamaru? The fact that I'm out late with another man, or the fact that I'm not at home waiting up for you?"

She watched as her words sunk in. His smoldering eyes slowly began to fade as though someone had gone in and smothered the fire inside of them. He licked his lips, nodded, and blinked a few times. For a moment, Ino thought he might cry.

He looked above her, avoiding her eyes. " 'You fucking him?"

Ino shook her head. "No."

Shikamaru nodded slowly, folding his arms over his chest and staring at the floor. "Look, when I..."

Ino raised an eye brow, waiting for him to finish.

"When I go out..." He began. Ino's eyes widened. Was he going to confide in her? Would he finally tell her why he had been ignoring her for so long? Why he refused to be her friend anymore? Why they never laughed or smiled or teased each other like they used to? "When I go out, I guess it's only fair that I let you go out too. Just, please tell me where you're going. I really was worried about you, Ino."

He looked up at her, his eyes were gleaming with tears that he was obviously trying to hold back. It wasn't the confession she had been hoping for, but it hit her just as hard. Ino felt the familiar sting of tears in her eyes as well, only she allowed hers to fall down her cheeks. She stepped forward and threw her arms around his neck. The impact blew the smell of cigarettes, alcohol, and cologne into her face but she didn't care. She let out a sob as the warmth of his arms curled around her waist.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled. "I'll try to be better."

**It had been nearly two weeks since Ino had argued with Shikamaru.** Since then, both of them had stuck around the house more and were actually getting along fairly well-much to Ino's surprise.

Ino would cook dinner, and Shikamaru would wash the dishes. They would sit together playing Shogi and Go and, on a few occasions, Shikamaru would even let Ino win. However, the contentment that had blossomed throughout their home soon began to dwindle. Ino would lie awake for hours, wishing for the warmth she had felt on that couch so many nights ago. Although she was enjoying the bits and pieces of friendship Shikamaru had been offering her, she longed for how it felt to have eyes crawling up and down her body. She missed the sensation of those slitted pupils tracing the curves of her body, making her tingle all over. Not only was Shikamaru unable to supply Ino with the love and attention that she wanted, but he also began going out more again. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, but it was enough to get her attention. Despite this, Ino refused to start arguments with him. Instead, she figured, it was time to see an old friend about some training and channel her anger into something useful.

**A/N: 2 short chapters=1 big one, right? This stuffs 'bout to get good :) I got so much planned for the remainder of the plot. Oh, the drama :) Lucky for you guys, I love putting my characters through Hell and back so, sit back and (hopefully) enjoy. As always, reviews, questions, comments-"all are welcome" (hopefully someone out there gets that Poltergeist reference :P) thanks to all for the comments and questions and for the awesome ideas :)**


	17. Chapter 17: Right Back At It Again

**He shivered as he felt a drafty breeze flutter over him.** He growled, turning over and tugging on the blanket. For some reason, the blanket didn't budge and Kiba finally forced his eye lids open, looking back to see a gorgeous blond tangled up in his sheets.

_Not again,_ he thought bitterly to himself.

He tugged at the blanket harder until the girl groaned, obviously annoyed, and turned away from him, pulling the blanket with her. In the chill of the morning, Kiba was now finally wide awake.

He tore himself from the bed and stood up. He began to walk towards the kitchen, stumbling over clothes and bottles as he went. He spotted Akamaru on the sofa and whistled to him but the dog refused to look in his direction.

"Fine. Forget you too," he growled, teetering over to the sink and getting a glass of water. He gulped it down in a heartbeat before pouring himself some more. He glared out the window at the sunlight, irritated that the sun dared to shine on such a shitty day.

Today marked the end of two weeks without any sign of Ino. For the first couple of days, Kiba figured she was angry with him for lying to her and leaving her in the woods. After the first week, he had considered going to her house and apologizing, but decided against it in case she was in trouble with Shikamaru because of him. By that point, he had been pacing his house, checking out the window constantly, hoping he'd see her familiar figure strolling up to his front door. Two days ago, he had finally sucked it up, put on his big boy pants, and quit waiting around for her. It was bullshit to think they had been friends or that they ever could be friends. She had wanted him to help her with her marriage, and that was the bottomline. There wasn't any friendship between them, and Kiba felt stupid for letting her back into his heart the way he had.

"Hey," a sleepy voice made him turn around. There stood the blond he had woken up next to, her long hair flowing down her back. She was naked and leaning against the wall, a sweet but sexy smile on her pretty face. Kiba sighed. She looked good, but Ino looked better without even getting as naked as this girl was now.

"Hey," he said stiffly, turning back towards the window and sipping his water.

"Last night was great."

"Yeah."

He felt her press up against him, her bare chest flattening against his bare back. He tensed as her hand slid down to the elastic band around his waist.

"What do you say about going for round two?"

Her hand enveloped his flaccid member and she began tugging on it, trying her best to arouse him. Kiba looked down at his boxers, frowning. He appreciated the effort, but he really wasn't in the mood. Not while he was sober, anyway.

A knock came from the front door and Kiba jumped at the chance to get away from the horny girl behind him. He shrugged her off and sauntered to the door. He pulled it open with a rude "What do you want?"

He felt the color drain from his face and his arm released the door knob, falling lamely to his side.

"Hey, are you busy?"

Ino was dressed in her old uniform of fishnets and the skirt and top that revealed her stomach. She was holding his clothes in her hands, his shirt and boxers folded neatly in her outstretched palms. Kiba stared blankly down at the clothes then back at her face. She was smiling softly, acting as though no time had passed between them at all.

"Well, actually-"

"Who's that?"

Kiba followed Ino's gaze to the naked girl peeking around the corner behind him. He cringed. He had completely forgotten about her.

"Oh, her? This is, uh...um..." Kiba scrambled through what he could remember from last night, searching frantically for her name somewhere in the cloud of booze and shame.

"Emiko," the girl gave Kiba a pointed look.

"Emiko," Kiba repeated. He turned back to Ino. For a moment, her face was unreadable, her expression completely blank. Slowly, her lips formed a grin and she entered the house, tossing Kiba's clothes onto the couch where Akamaru lay, his tail wagging furiously upon Ino's entry. She extended her right arm to the girl.

"Hello, I'm Ino," she said.

The girl looked at Ino strangely for a moment and shuffled slightly behind the wall she was hiding her nudity behind, but smiled back when she decided that Ino didn't pose a threat. "Nice to meet you."

Kiba gawked at them, looking back and forth between the two girls in awe. Was this real life?

Ino and Emiko looked at him and Kiba blushed. Leave it to Ino to befriend the girl he'd just had a one night stand with. If she just ruined his chances of forcing Emiko out of his life, he'd be pissed.

"What did you need, Ino?" Kiba didn't even attempt to mask his distaste. He was still annoyed that she had ditched him for so long without any reason whatsoever.

"You said we could train together," Ino answered, her face expressionless. "So I came to train."

Kiba nodded.

Emiko's eyes widened in admiration. "You're a ninja too? This is just too cool!"

Kiba rolled his eyes. Basically all of the women he slept with only slept with him because he was a shinobi. For whatever reason, the women of the village had a thing for guys who were as skilled on the battlefield as they were in the bedroom. Not that he was complaining, but it still annoyed him every time he saw their reactions.

"_Ex_-ninja," Kiba clarified just as Ino opened her mouth to respond. She shot him a look and he just shrugged back at her.

Ino turned back to Emiko, her glare now a wide smile. "I used to be a ninja, but I quit because I got married"-she gave Kiba a look and her voice got darker-"_happily_ married."

Kiba raised an eye brow at her and snorted. Was she for real?

Her voice became light and airy again. "But lately I've been wanting to return to my shinobi roots, you know? I'm sick of being soft. A wife and mother needs to be able to handle anything, after all."

_Mother?_ Kiba gulped.

"Oh, you have children? But you look so good!"

Ino shook her head, shooting Kiba another look as Emiko poked around at her stomach, oohing and aahing over Ino's obvious lack of stretch marks.

"Not yet. But maybe someday soon."

Kiba and Ino's eyes were locked on one another. He tensed under her gaze, a spark was lit deep in his gut and he felt a roaring fire begin to blaze deep within him. She was pushing it, and she knew it was driving him insane. The worst part was, even as she spoke to Emiko and glared at him, all he could think about was throwing her against the wall and making her his mate.

He couldn't wait for Emiko to leave so that he could take Ino out onto the training field and fight her. Any physical interaction between them at this point would do, even if it was to hurt each other.

**A/N: any ADTR fans? :) saw them with Pierce the Veil and All Time Low. Awesome show! Chapter title is a shout out to them :)**


	18. Chapter 18: Free Again

**Ino glared at the back of Kiba's head as he guided her towards the woods behind his house.** She couldn't believe him. She was gone two weeks and the first thing he does is go right back to chasing tail. She ripped her eyes from him, folding her arms across her chest, and glaring into the forest.

As soon as he had opened the door and she had gotten her first look at him in weeks, everything had flooded back to her and she felt as though no time had passed between them at all. She almost felt excited, glad that they were able to go back to hanging out. Sure, being with Shikamaru again had been fun and it was almost like they were friends again, but Shikamaru didn't bring with him the same excitement that Kiba brought.

_Emiko._ The name tore through her chest and she shot another look at Kiba. That had completely ruined the moment. She had been pumped to surprise Kiba by showing up on his doorstep, but now, she just wanted to get right to training so she'd have an excuse to hit him.

"We're here," she heard Kiba call to her over his shoulder. She looked passed him at the makeshift training field. There was a banged up old tree stump covered in cuts and kunai and a few sacks of flour hanging from some trees as mock punching bags. It brought her back to her academy days. Back when she hadn't even given Kiba the time of day. She stole a glance in his direction, trying to imagine him in his old outfit with his shorts and a jacket with the hood up. Back when Akamaru was small enough to ride around on Kiba. Now it was the other way around.

"Great," she said flatly. Akamaru sat by her feet and she scratched behind his ear, causing him to lick her hand in response.

"So, how about you warm up for a bit and then we can get started?"

"Sure."

She turned away from Akamaru and walked towards the punching bags. She tried to ignore the feeling of Kiba's eyes watching her as she strolled up to one of the dangling pouches and began throwing punches at it. It felt good to hit something for once. She hadn't actually done much physical activity in a long time, save for walking around the village when she had to collect groceries. It felt as though every punch released a portion of her stress. All of her built up anger and frustration was slowly escaping her body through her fists, and she was relishing in the feeling.

"Whoa, go easy on it," Kiba's voice came from behind her. Ino had been so caught up in her own imaginary battle with the flour sack that she jumped in surprise and swung a fist at him. Kiba easily fell back, dodging her knuckles by mere inches.

Ino locked eyes with him. He looked bored, apathetic, like he didn't care either way. It annoyed her. It reminded her of her husband. She swung another fist at him. This time, he held a hand up to grab her fist. He gripped her hand in his own and threw a right hook at her. She tore her hand away and leaped backwards, doing a successful back flip onto the tree branch above her. She stared down at her legs in shock. Had she really remained so flexible after so long? It was almost as if her reflexes had never even left her.

She gave him a cocky smirk. "I won't go easy on you."

Kiba disappeared only to reappear beside her, mere inches from her face. She planted her hands on her hips and looked up at him, an evil smile decorated both of their faces.

"You've made that very clear, princess," he breathed. She shivered under his gaze as his hand crept across her cheek, pushing her bangs from her eye. Something told her he wasn't talking about their fight. He leaned in closer to her, and her face began to grow hot. She was practically hypnotized by his eyes, her body becoming more frozen the closer his face got to her own. Just as his lips were about to touch hers, he maneuvered his head and licked her cheek.

She was frozen in shock as he pulled away, a cocky smirk on his face. The wind made the spot where his saliva sat colder than the rest of her face and she gaped at him.

"Tag. You're it," Kiba roared with laughter, turning on his heel and shooting out of the tree and onto another.

Shaking off the surprise, Ino collected her senses and tore after him, kicking off of trees as she went. The wind whistled passed her and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the wind combing through her hair. It had been so long since she had enjoyed the feeling of soaring through the air. She was surprised when she felt the presence of someone gliding beside her, but she relaxed when she realized who it was.

"It feels nice, doesn't it?" His voice was soft.

She grinned and nodded.

"I feel...free again," Ino admitted.

She stopped on one branch and opened her eyes. Kiba had jumped onto one just above her. She looked up at him and he stared back down at her, giving her that same look he had given her so many times before. That look that made her feel as though he was peeking right into her soul.

She swallowed. "What are you thinking, Kiba? When you look at me like that."

There was a long pause before he finally spoke. "I can't tell you. Not yet."

She watched him turn away and drop down from the branch and onto the forest floor below.

**A/N: I feel bad. I know my chapters seem to get shorter and shorter. It's just a shit ton easier for me to write smaller chapters. I have to be in a certain mood while I write and if I try to force myself to continue writing when I'm not feeling inspired, everything just turns out shitty. Sorry! There'll be a new chapter up pretty soon, and much more training in the future :) R&R as always. Love hearing from you :) All Time Low is my life as well. I'll be seeing them soon. A few weeks, actually. ADTR is amazing. I don't know anyone who doesn't like them. Even my mom likes them haha i hope all is well with you guys :)**


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